Love Has Its Reasons
by EmbraceDiversity
Summary: A Night Elf meets a Troll. Somehow, they fall in love. Somewhat of an AU since I had written this when I had known little about the back story of the game. It will be rewritten some day. Complete for now.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: After careful review of WoW, I've decided that this story will be considered slightly AU._

Chapter One

_It would seem…_ Celysel thought to herself as her padded feet treaded the woods silently _That I bit off a bit more than I could chew._

Her senses as a night saber were twice what they were in her natural form, so she had immediately sensed the danger that was in the distance. There were natural predators in almost every region in this world, so she had to keep her senses on high alert. Fortunately for her, the danger was quite a distance away, unfortunately for her, she sensed another presence; strong, quiet, and very, very dangerous. It was that danger which had her senses roaring, and it was because of that danger that she dared not turn back into her natural form of the Night Elf, afraid that she may attract unwanted attention. How on Azeroth did she get into this mess? Oh right, she had _insisted_ on proving herself by going on a pilgrimage, hoping to show the council that she was not just a child, that she was more than capable of handling herself, even in battle.

Born in a middle class family, Celysel was raised with high upbringing despite her status, her father being somewhat famous in Teldrassil for doing small yet significant things to bring the Alliance along to victory. Her mother had been a dancer, and taught Celysel everything she knew, but the young Elfling wanted more than just to dance and study books, she wanted to go out into the world and explore. She was but a child, however, in the eyes of the Elven world, and going out into the world before she was barely a hundred years old was almost unheard of. She had fought and pleaded and threw herself into the studies of the Druid ways, training and conditioning herself until she began to be less of an annoyance and more of a potential asset. She had the skills, and the natural talent for Druidism, even taking and adapting to shape changing immediately, without any real proper training. She forced her people to see her as an asset for the Alliance, to the point where they could no longer deny her desire to venture forth into the world at only the tender age of 85. As she continued on in the forest her mind drifted back to when she had assigned herself to the first quest outside of Teldrassil which would take her to the city of Darnassus. That had been an interesting conversation indeed.

"I wish you would reconsider." Her father had said. He was a tall and of thick proportion despite the fact that he was getting on in his years. He was stroking his long white beard as he looked outside, his back turned to his only child and daughter. Celysel knew that her father loved her more than anything and was quite protective of her, especially after their mother was murdered by a Forsaken. And while he was a strong and capable Druid, it was indeed the case that she was his only weakness.

"I cannot Father." She said softly. She rarely raised her voice around her father, mostly because he was such a kind and gentle man and didn't like to see him upset, even though she knew her departure was breaking his heart. "My heart cannot continue to be caged, it wishes to fly free and explore, it aches as it is denied this."

Her father turned to her and smiled, but it was sad and made him look much older than he actually was. Or perhaps it made him look his age, Celysel was unsure. "You are so much like your mother." He said, walking over towards her. With gentle fingers he tilted her chin up to face him. She had always been a bit short. "You even look like her, now more than ever." His other hand lifted a few strands of her silver hair, looking at it with a sadness Celysel hoped she would never understand. "I shall only ask once more my daughter, stay. Learn and train more in the Druidic ways. There is so much more you could learn here that you would not have to learn on the outside. In truth, I fear for you my daughter. In slumber I dream dreams of you, of hardships and pain. I do not wish that for you. Stay, where you can be protected, where you can grow more and learn."

She shook her head "No, I can't." she turned away, looking out the window "Father, you have been out there, you know what it is like. Mother, she would always tell me such fascinating stories of her ventures out into the world. My heart has yearned for this since I could understand words, after all of my hard work, I cannot be denied now."

"I know." He said, and for a long moment, there was silence. Celysel thought that perhaps he had become so angry with her that he no longer desired to speak to her, but it was then that he sighed and said: "Celysel, you are my daughter and I love you, but remember this, my power only goes so far when it comes to protecting you. Remember that when you go on this quest to see the world. May the Goddess light your way."

What had he meant by that then? Celysel had no real idea, or maybe perhaps he was talking about her current situation. She was rather lost and slightly out of her league with some of the monsters here. She had almost been killed today, it had taken a lot of healing, some potions that she hadn't been able to afford losing, precious spring water that she definitely really couldn't have parted with and a lot of running which resulted in an exhausted, worn down Druid Night Elf who just wanted some water and some sleep. At an inn. A comfortable, Alliance owned inn. With a bath. Oh, how nice a hot bath sounded…

Her body paused, her nose lifting up into the air and sniffing softly, the scent of fresh water having hit her. So overjoyed by the scent her stiff and tiredness had all but been forgotten as she sped through the forest, her powerful legs and sleek body making her ideal for moving around in such an environment. Her ears listened for any nearby threats but picked up on none. Seeing this as a sign of good luck she continued on until she reached the clearing.

And then her body immediately stopped itself.

Becoming one with the animal could be difficult at times. When one was an animal, they had to make sure that they did not let the animal inside take over, or it would become difficult to transform back. Most Druids in training when practicing this technique end up having to have elders transform them back, as they completely lost themselves to the will of the animal. Sometimes it was unavoidable, like this when her body halted for her. She was glad that it had, however, because now as she calmed herself, she heard voices. Well, a voice in any case.

Her sharp eyes allowed her to see in dark as well as in day irregardless of what form she was in, so when she peeked out to get a better look, she was bit surprised at what she saw. A Troll was sitting rather lazily by the lake, _her_ lake, laughing. He was tall and lanky even while sitting, his light blue skin only a compliment to the full moon above them. His hair was dark red, and it looked as if he had recently cut it. This tusks looked about average from the pictures she had seen of Trolls, perhaps he was from the Darkspear tribe that she had heard so much about? He wore very little, just enough to cover the sensitive spots, and his face was painted in white streaks. Beside him was a rather nasty looking pet, and it was then she realized that this Troll was a hunter and the pet was his. His gun was sitting off to the side and Celysel concluded that he was either a fool, or he wasn't afraid of anything that could possibly be waiting for him out in the wild. As he told a rather corny joke to his pet and laughed as if it was highly hilarious, the Druid was beginning to think that perhaps it was the former and not the latter of her conclusions.

As far as her knowledge went, Trolls were a _nasty_ bunch. Creepy and mysterious, Trolls were excellent fighters and warriors, their Shaman skills were a force to be reckoned with. As a child, she had been told that they had an awful disposition and would sooner cut your throat than try to talk to you. They were lying, thieving backstabbers who thought of nothing but themselves, and, as she had been told on and on again, would sooner cut her throat than talk sense to her. While she was sure that perhaps some of what she had been told was true, Celysel had learned not to believe everything one was told.

She was naturally curious, and so instead of simply trying to start a fight and try to kill him, she laid back, flattening her ears as she watched him. He seemed quite laid back for a Troll, and his pet, whose name was Jork, seemed to be loyal and devoted to his master, although he didn't seem to care too much for his jokes. The Troll was merely talking to pass the time, taking the time to look at a fishing pole that he had sitting in the ground every now and then and sometimes gazing up at the moon. Celysel noticed that despite the fact that he was tall and rather skinny, strong and able muscles peeked through that blue skin, showing that he was indeed no pushover.

If he was a Troll, he didn't act like anything she had been told growing up. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that he was _too_ laid back, he could pass for a Night Elf with his mannerisms. Looks, however, were a different story. Perhaps he was even civilized enough to hold a decent conversation.

Struck now with the strong desire to try and meet with a Troll for the first time and her aching desire for water that was again deciding to make its presence known, she slowly creeped out from her hiding spot in the forest, trotting silently to the lake. She was a good distance away from him, well, enough so that he couldn't physically strike her, but unfortunately she was well within range to receive a bullet. Hopefully he wasn't the shoot first ask questions later kind of person.

He didn't notice her at first. He didn't notice her at all actually, his pet did. He jerked his wolfish head up and growled, catching his master's attention. The Troll looked and saw Celysel, and she heard him make a rather appreciative noise.

"Well now, what we be havin' 'ere?" he asked, mostly to himself, as he regarded her in her night saber form. "Wut a leetl cat like you doin' all da way out 'ere?" his voice was thick with his accent, and she almost had to strain a bit to catch all of what he was saying. Trolls were indeed odd creatures.

He seemed more curious and amused by this turn of events than anything else. Instead of reaching for his gun, he leaned more away from it, as if trying to get a better look at her. His pet seemed furious at the fact that his master hadn't simply just blown her to bits, and was making his opinion known by growling rather loudly. Instead of throttling him like she assumed any Troll would do, he began to scratch the animal behind the ears, whispering something to him in his native language.

"Come now Jork, it just lil cat out fo' a drink. Watcha so uppity 'bout?" he continued to try and comfort the animal, but the growls did not cease. Sighing a bit at his companion, he didn't notice when Celysel slowly began to walk over to him, her intelligent eyes being the only thing that would betray her.

Apparently, the Troll was either oblivious or stupid, because when she began to approach him, he seemed more intrigued than anything else. She took note at the way he looked at her, as if the hunter in him was admiring a piece of art. She figured that probably some part of him would like to tame her, to make her his companion. That made him all the more curious as he was supposed to come from a race who cared about nothing but themselves. When she approached about arm's length away, she was sure that the larger animal was going to strike at her, but his master obviously had a tight hold on his loyalties, and would only strike when directed to. Celysel sat and looked at the Troll as he fully sat up, that amused grin of his never fading.

"Brave lil' cat you are." he said softly, leaning forward a bit "Ya must be hungry den. Lookin' fo' scraps are ya? Sorry mon, I gots none."

Pretending to seem satisfied with this answer, Celysel turned and began to trot away, in reality wanting to get some distance before deciding to reveal herself. He seemed pretty laid back and decent up close, but that was because he thought she was a night saber. The moment she transformed, it'd be a different story entirely. She needed to put some distance between them so she wouldn't look so much like a threat to his person. When she felt like she was at a good enough distance to not seem threatening as well as talk to the point where she didn't have to project her voice, she transformed back into her form stretching her back as she did. Being in one form besides her own for too long had its effects on her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him stiffen and within seconds he was on his feet, gun in hand, pointed towards her head.

"Watchu be doin' here _Night Elf_?" he asked. His voice that had been light and cheerful just a second ago was now dark and deadly. He also sounded a bit angry, and Celysel came to the conclusion it was probably because he was a tad bit miffed about the fact that she could have literally killed him from right under his nose and he wouldn't have been any the wiser until it was too late. She would have been a little peeved too. His pet was now actively barking and growling at her, as if trying to tell his master 'I _told_ you! Kill her, kill her!'

Raising her hands in a non threatening gesture Celysel turned to him, her face carefully blank "I mean you no harm." She said softly, trying to seem as passive as possible.

She heard his gun click. "Why should I believe ya she-elf?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. She saw his finger tighten on the trigger and she felt a small rise of panic in her. What if she had been wrong and her kind right? What if he just shot her without a care?

_Then he would have done so already, idiot._

Ah. This was true.

"Because," she began, crossing her arms and fixing him with a stare "I could have killed you easily just now, and I didn't." she stated the obvious fact, hoping that it'd sink in that she was not here to kill him. Her father had always told her curiosity would get the better of her one day. Maybe she should have taken his advice for a change.

Her heart slowly began to beat again when he began to lower his rifle. Not all the way, but still enough to where she didn't feel like her life was in immediate danger.

"Dat be tru…" he said a little thoughtfully and Celysel watched as his thoughtful frown turned into slight surprise and curiosity. "Why is that mon?" he asked of her, dropping his rifle. If she was trying to have idle chit-chat with him, obviously she didn't come to try and take his tusks, and that seemed fine with him. "Neva seen a Troll before 'ave ya?" his trademark smirk was back and he leaned against the rifle, his eyes now taking her in a bit differently than before. He looked her up and down with his eyes and then back to her face, his smirk blossoming into an all out grin. Obviously, he liked what he was seeing.

Celysel didn't like it.

"Actually," Celysel said sharply, getting the Troll's attention once again off her body and to her face

"I haven't. I was curious."

He raised an eyebrow at her, shifting his weight off of the rifle and slinging it over his shoulder casually, tilting his head to the side. "Curious?" he asked, his face suddenly taking in a look as if he had finally figured her out, just before he burst into laughter "Never seen…?" he couldn't even finish his sentence before his laughter almost turned into howls, as if she had said the funniest joke he had ever heard. It was insulting, to have him laugh at her like that simply because he had been the first Troll she had ever seen. The urge to throttle him was becoming high on her list of things to do.

"Leetl' she-elf you…"

"Celysel." She snapped, raising her chin at him in her small sign of defiance. It was an old habit of hers really; she had always thought it made her look rather aristocratic. "I have a name; it is Celysel, _not_ she-elf." That _idiotic_ name that he was giving her was beginning to grate on her nerves. Who the hell did he think he was anyway, to laugh at her?

"Right." He said, shaking his head, his laughter reduced back to his grin as he regarded her "My apologies." He mock-bowed at her. Now he was making fun of her mannerisms, she just knew it!

"Y…." at this point she really did want to go over there and choke him. She was trying to be friendly and he was making fun of her! How rude! "Why you tall, lanky, idiotic…" she was running out of names to call him "How dare you make fun of me because I've never met a Troll, when you're so blind you let a night saber, who's _not_ even indigenous to this area walk right up to you without questioning it once!"

He shrugged "Some idiot let'is pet git away?" he suggested, obviously not bothered at all by their earlier encounter "Preety common 'round 'ere leetl' she-elf."

"My _name_ is _not_…oh why bother with you?" she fumed, completely frustrated with this entire encounter. This…this _creature_ was insufferable, completely and utterly insufferable. He was rude and he made fun of her and he did everything but try to have a decent conversation with him. He overall was just annoying as well, and if that damned pet of his didn't stop his insistent growling…

"Yah mon, why bother?" he wanted to know. His face still held its grin, but his tone was nothing less than deadly serious. It caught her attention and she turned to look at him, amazed at how cheerful he could look and still seem so dangerous at the same time. How had she ever thought she could have killed this creature?

Celysel found herself at a loss for words. In her shame she turned away from him, not wanting him to see her face. "I…I…"

There was a sigh and then she heard footsteps. It only took him a few strides with those long legs of his before he was standing beside her, and she felt thick fingers touch her chin and tilt her head towards him, and suddenly she felt comforted. Her father always did that with her, it had the same effect.

"It ain't safe fer leetl' she-elves to be playin' at night 'round 'ere." He said softly "Ya should be gettin' yerself ta shelter, if ya know what be good fer ya."

She could do nothing but nod mutely at him, disappointed at how this encounter had gone. She had learned nothing about him, except that while playful, he could be serious at the same time. Her mind began to race as she realized that not only had this Troll warned her of danger, he had also touched her gently. While not intimate, it was still a total shock. Horde did not associate with Alliance, not even to this degree. Had she missed something?

And then, without warning, his hand left her chin and he walked over to his pack, hefting the somewhat large object as if it weighed nothing, and perhaps to him it didn't. Patting his pet on the neck affectionately he began to disappear back into the woods from which he came from, but before he did, he turned his head slightly toward her direction.

"Lorkan." He said and then fully turned to her, grinning "Da name's Lorkan. Be seein' ya." And with a slight wave, he turned and was gone.

It was only after many minutes did she finally move, and it was only then that she realized she had been shaking. From what? He had no intention of killing her during the entire time they had encountered each other when he knew she wasn't a threat, so why was she shaking?

_Be seein' ya._

"I very much doubt it." She said to the shadows once she regained her composure. As she quickly refilled on water and departed the forest, however, she knew that deep down inside, somehow this was only the beginning.

_Wat 'n interstin' girl dat was._ Lorkan thought to himself as he walked through the forest. Jork was still a little annoyed at him for being ignored when he had tried to warn his master, so Lorkan fed him some extra supper and gave him some extra petting, just to make him feel a little better, and as an apology. Indeed, he had made a grave mistake today, not realizing that the saber was in fact, a Night Elf, an enemy. The fact that she was just a fledgling was what had kind of irked him, seeing as he'd fought much stronger enemies and came out somewhat unscathed. Was he slipping? Nah, couldn't be. But despite the fact that he had acted like a pure fool out there in the clearing, he did find the elf to be entertaining and amusing, not to mention easy on the eyes. Or maybe seeing nothing but Orc women was beginning to have an effect on him. Nope, Night Elf women were naturally beautiful, he already knew that.

End Note: Hey the story is back! Where did it go?

Well, truth is, stress was hitting me hard, and it was getting to the point where I couldn't take it anymore. Some things had to go. I removed this story and wasn't going to submit it when someone e-mailed me one day and said "Hey, someone recommended me to your fic!" It was probably the best thing anyone had ever said to me about my writing, and it really made me feel good. It also made me want to finish this story, because I love Celysel and Lorkan, and despite my overall disappointment with the story, _you_ guys liked it, and I owed it to you.

So here it is, all 10 chapters. I'm currently debating on writing a second half, however, it will not be released to the public until finished. So until then, consider this to be the last and final chapter on Lorkan and Celysel.

Also, I would like to let the readers know now that this story is not correct to the WoW timeline. Thusly, you may consider it to be slightly AU. Remember this when you make your reviews. Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: These chapters will remain unchanged btw.

Love Has Its Reasons

Chapter Two

By: Catriana

Celysel thought herself a woman of patience. Despite the cold and rain, she felt that magic was a very potent force, and could overcome many obstacles if used correctly. It could even be used to teleport, and indeed, if she so desired, she could have used her hearthstone, however, doing such a thing would have ended her in a location that was completely opposite of where she wanted to go. Booty Bay was a very convenient location; she really didn't want to go anywhere else. She was on a mission to deliver an important document to a diplomat in Stormwind, a document that needed to be put in the diplomat's hands within 48 hours. The weather was against her, to the point that no ship, even though she didn't need it, and nothing that had wings would be moving from this area.

"Not at least till tomorrow or the next day…" the goblin had told her.

"I cannot…wait that long." Celysel said with fake politeness and clenched teeth. "I have a very important document that must be taken to Stormwind as soon as possible, I simply cannot wait on this."

It wasn't the goblin's problem, so he simply shrugged. "Sorry, you can either wait, or you can try it on foot."

This was also out of the question. The storm was bad; it would be stupid to go out on foot with such dangerous creatures lurking in the shadows waiting to kill. The storm was said to last for a few days, but it was also promised to lighten up soon, so travel would continue as scheduled. She didn't want to lose time but what could she do in her situation? This got her back to thinking about magic. Couldn't they just use magic to protect the beasts? Maybe that was asking a bit too much.

_Rain, probably, but these winds would be hard for anything in the air. The magic wouldn't be able to fight off the wind._

She forced herself to think calmly and not try and throttle the goblin. She already had a distinct dislike for goblins, coming to Booty Bay had been indeed her last resort. Her frustration in the possibility of not being able to get to Stormwind in time was making her outward mask slowly dissipate, which could be a bad thing for the goblin in front of her.

"Is there nothing I can do to be on my way?" Celysel asked him as politely as she could "Perhaps some gold is in order…?"

"No. Ain't nothing goin' out there, get used to it lady." Extremely impatient with Celysel's banter, the goblin turned his back away from her, walking away. It is always a mistake to turn your back on a creature that had the potential to become very hostile quite quickly. A dark shadow with bright glowing eyes loomed over the goblin's head, Celysel's staff raised and ready to strike. Dismiss her would he? He would regret such an insult to her person with a few knots on his head. Her patience had reached its limit and beyond, a little payback for his rudeness would make her feel _so_ much better…

"Wut we be havin' 'ere?" a voice drawled and suddenly, Celysel found herself unable to move her arms, something having them in a vice-like grip. Firmly she was dragged backwards a few paces until she was side by side with a creature with light blue skin.

_Interesting, I barely come up to his chest_ Celysel thought rather numbly as she regarded her captor. He skillfully plucked the staff from her smaller hands, releasing her afterwards. Looking up, Celysel was faced with a rather toothy grin as the stranger leaned slightly on her staff, obviously amused by her antics.

No, not a stranger. It was that Troll that she had encountered only two months ago. Lorkan it was? She had thought about him often after their first meeting, especially about how different and intriguing he was compared to the stories that she had been told. Lorkan hadn't changed much since she had last seen him. His hair was still the same length and his animal Jork was sitting about four paces away, glaring at her. The pet's dislike for her obviously hadn't diminished any either. His clothing was slightly different, for one he was wearing more clothing. He had on leather pants and boots, only the boots had no bottom to them. His vest matched his pants, even his wristbands matched. He had even purchased a new rifle, for the old one he had was no longer strapped to his back. Celysel did not want to know why she had remembered such details after meeting him only once, and while Trolls for the most part looked the same to her, she knew that she'd be able to find him in a crowd anywhere. She reached for her staff and he simply moved away, keeping it at arms length. She knew she wouldn't be able to get it trying a reaching contest; his limbs were much longer than hers.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, sounding a bit more exasperated than she had meant to. She didn't like to show her inward emotions too often, that led to vulnerability.

"Dis be neutral territory leetl' she-elf." He said cheerfully, placing her staff on his shoulders and letting his arms hang limply from her weapon. _Her_ weapon. It was funny had he had no regard towards her things, or her on top of that. "I can be 'ere all day, all night if I want." He winked at her

"An' den some mon."

There he went with that _she-elf_ thing again. Had she thought him intriguing? Maybe _annoying as hell_ was better. Already in a foul mood, Celysel decided to try and reclaim her weapon back instead of trying to argue the issue of her name again. He obviously hadn't listened the first time, and she did so hate to repeat herself. She jumped up to try and grab it, but he leaned back, making her instead brush up against him. She ignored the warm feeling that went through her body at the contact. After a few tries of this, and wanting to choke him when his grin only got wider and his glances became more heated, she stopped, glaring at him in defiance. She was getting so tired at being his source for amusement. "My staff." She said, not feeling like saying anything more. He knew what she meant, there was no need to elaborate.

"Wut 'bout it?" he asked, grinning that _shit eating_ grin of his. Violent thoughts went through her mind, but she squashed it. She was a Night Elf, not a barbarian. "Be wantin' it back?"

"Yes, if you don't mind." She flashed a fake smile at him "It's cold and wet and I'm tired of standing out here with idiots." The goblin, who she had meant for him to hear, ignored her. Lorkan's grin simply would not fade away, and the more she spoke, it seemed the more he enjoyed grinning.

"Ya be right 'bout dat. Win's gettin' stronga. Ya may be wantin' ta seek shelta fo' da night she-elf."

_Why do you care?_ She wanted to hiss at him, instead she simply adjusted her cloak on her body, not that it did much now to shield her from the rain. So far, the wind had died down a bit, but the goblins were convinced that it'd start back up worse than before in an hour, so everything was beginning to close down, especially travel paths. Sighing, Celysel held out her hand "Well, return my weapon to me and I'll be on my way to an Inn for the night and you can go get drunk and be merry."

Lorkan laughed heartily at this, fixing Celysel with an amused stare, shifting the staff to one hand. After calming down enough to speak, he leaned forward and stared her right in the eyes, dropping his voice down to a whisper "Ya fo'got da part 'bout me gettin' felt up by hot she-elves like yaself mon." he winked at her.

"Disgusting!" she spat, appalled by his forward behavior. She snatched her weapon from his hand and stormed past him, ignoring his laughter. How dare he come on to her like that? Had he no decency? He was a Troll, she a Night Elf, he had obviously lost his mind.

Or perhaps not. It was well known that Trolls weren't very picky when it came to sex, they were pretty open about that sort of thing. Of course, because of the two different sides it was now uncommon for Trolls to try associating with those of the Alliance, but obviously Lorkan had no such ideas about up keeping that. When she stormed past him he followed, his long legs more than able to keep up with her quick pace. Jork was prowling behind his master, obviously quite unhappy with how this scene was playing out.

Lorkan, was pretty convinced that he was losing his mind. He had arrived about an hour or so before Celysel to Booty Bay, and had met up with the same problem, only he needed a ship. It didn't matter to him if he got to the Barrens at any particular time so he hadn't made such a fuss about not being able to leave. Instead he had lounged around the area, spoke to some friends that were passing by and got himself a room at the inn. It was after he left the inn that he saw Celysel, and although he had sworn to himself that he wasn't going to associate with her, he found himself wandering over to her spot where she was trying to haggle the unfortunate goblin who putting a nice wrench in her plans to leave as soon as possible. Because he didn't want Celysel to get in trouble, he had even go so far as to stop her from trying to beat the goblin to death. The flirting, however, _was_ going a bit too far. He couldn't really _help_ himself though, she was so easy to anger, and she was so damn sexy when riled up. She hadn't changed much though, her outfit looked a darker shade of green than when he had seen her two months ago, but it was pretty much unrevealing and left too much to the imagination. She was starting to grow her hair out he saw, for her shoulder length hair was now down almost to her shoulder blades. He briefly wondered how her hair would feel in his hands.

Probably silky and well taken care of, just like that sexy shade of blue skin that was just _begging_ to be tasted…

A rumble from Jork shook Lorkan out of his slight stupor. He honestly needed to stop thinking about her like that. Sure she was hot, most Night Elves were, but going down that path was a dark and dangerous one. It didn't help that he hadn't had a good lay in almost a year, unheard of for his kind. It was driving him a bit crazy, maybe that was why he couldn't get his mind off of her 'assets'. It also wasn't helping that she kept jumping to get her weapon from his grasp, her body, which was quite warm and soft despite the rain and wind, kept brushing against him, which was only riling him up more.

He had teased her without mercy, making her become so infuriated that she stomped off in a huff, clutching the weapon that he had so easily plucked from her hands into the Inn. He walked with her for a bit, and then, petting his wet, irritated, and miserable animal, he led Jork over to the pet stables, deciding to let the caretakers do their magic on his friend. Lorkan knew he'd probably have to really give Jork some special treatment for everything he had been putting the animal through. Afterwards, he went back into the Inn, a tad bit surprised at what he found.

The Inn was filled with mostly Horde, and within that, mostly Orcs. Throwing a few waves to some familiar faces with unfamiliar names, Lorkan looked around for the she-elf, and found her. She was sitting at the bar, getting some rather strange looks from the orcs, a tall empty glass sitting by her arm. Raising an eyebrow, Lorkan practically glided his way through the disorderly arrangements of Orcs in the area, easily sliding into a bar stool beside her. A grin beginning to emerge on his face he leaned his head on his hand, looking at her with a rather lazy expression.

"Ain't cha a leetl' _young_ ta be gettin' drunk she-elf?" he asked her. When her body tensed he allowed himself a small victory. He knew she despised the nickname he had given her, and he made sure to use it quite a bit when he wanted to make her mad.

It always seems to work.

She slowly turned her head to him, her eyes narrowing in barely concealed anger. An argument perhaps? She seemed like the type that would be fun to argue with. "And what, may I ask, is _that_ supposed to mean?" she wanted to know.

Hook.

"I jus' sayin', ya a leetl' wet behind da ears if ya know wat I mean. At least take it easy, dun wancha overdoin' it."

Line.

He could tell she was about to explode at any moment, and he sat back, preparing himself for it. She was indeed young to be so impressionable. Most mature Night Elves would have ignored him, finding him too beneath them to even consider _attempting_ to debate with them. For some reason he liked the fact that Celysel seemed so different from all those other stick-in-the-ass Night Elves.

"I am _not_ wet behind the ears." She hissed at him, her chin raising in her defiant way. Lorkan was sure that it was strictly a habit of hers. She probably thought it made her look regal or something.

Sinker.

"Really now?" he asked casually "I dunno, ya haven't really…"

"Don't believe me?" she asked, her defiant glare turning into a grin that made him feel a little uneasy "Shall I prove it to you then?" she asked, her grin becoming a bit wider.

He'd rather she didn't. An argument was fine, her doing something reckless and having the entire Horde in the building come down on her was not. "Ey, now leetl' she-elf…" he began

She ignored him. "Bartender, I want a glass of your strongest drink.."

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

The bartender plopped down a glass of light blue liquid. If one looked closely, they would be able to see small specks of light within them, making it look almost like a galaxy. Lorkan knew this drink, its initial name was 'Moonlight Vale' but eventually became 'Milky Way' because of the way it looked. The average Orc could only take three shots of that drink before they were drunk, Celysel was having a _glass_ of it.

Lorkan briefly wondered if Night Elves could get alcohol poisoning.

The Hunter Troll looked around, feeling uneasy about the stares Celysel was getting. They had ignored the fact that he was sitting beside her, mostly because Orcs didn't really care too much for what Trolls did, plus, they knew them to be the horny bastards that they were, but Celysel, she was a different story. Smirks and grins began to shine in the tavern, and Lorkan could even see the small gleam of knives. He could already tell what they were thinking. _Wait till she gets drunk, let her leave, kill her._ Who would know? They'd probably just dump her body somewhere and claim that animals killed her if anyone came asking. No one would tell the truth, and the animals would probably start to devour her before anyone came asking. The thought of her being disemboweled was uncomfortable to him for some reason, so he tried to grab her arm when she reached for the glass. Determined to prove him wrong, she reached over with her other hand, grabbed the drink and downed it all. With a small squeak and an off comment about how it tasted like juice, he simply stared at her, dumbstruck. She _had_ to be wet behind the ears if she didn't know how bad that drink was. The thought of poisoning once again entered his mind and he reached for her, a little unsure of what to do.

"See?" she began, looking at him with a shaky grin. Her naturally glowing eyes were becoming a bit dimmer, her face was beginning to don a bright reddish tint to it. The drink was going to hit her hard, he knew it. He needed to get her out of harms way. If he simply left her here, she'd surely die.

_But den ya wouldn't 'ave ta worry bout 'er anymore now would ya?_ An unbidden thought came into his head. He squashed it. Sure she was the enemy, but she wasn't a bad person, she didn't need to die because she was trying to prove a point that held no real value. That wasn't the way anyone should die. Resolved in his conclusion, he stood up and slipped his arm around her back, the other reaching underneath her legs. She squeaked again and giggled, slinging her arms around his neck, looking up at him with half closed eyes.

"Told ya I wasn't wet behind the ears." She said triumphantly, and surprising him with her ability to keep from seriously slurring. Four or five of those drinks had him roaring drunk and slurring off his ass. Trying very hard to ignore the hard stares he was getting from the Orcs he bent down to whisper in her ear.

"Stay still mon, it not safe fer ya ta be doin' such reckless tings." He told her, his lips accidentally brushing against her ear. Her skin felt good, a little too good for his liking. _Get 'er upstairs first Lorkan…_ he thought to himself and shifted her in his arms, ignoring the glares with an effort as he began the short trip up the stairs and into his room.

Most rooms in an inn were the same. They had a large bed, a dresser with a mirror, a bathroom and maybe one or two windows. Some of his belonging were already in the room laying against the dresser, mostly things that he used for traveling long distances. With no small skill, he unsoldered his gun while still holding Celysel in his arms, closing the door with his foot at the same time. He let himself feel a bit proud of his multitasking skills as he set the giggling Elf girl on the bed.

She sat back, arching her back a bit as she regarded him "I wiped that stupid grin off your face." She said, tilting her head in a way that dared him to challenge her new accomplishment.

Slightly annoyed by that statement he walked over to his dresser, sitting down and removing his boots one by one. "Dat so mon?" he asked absently. Her little antics could have gotten them both injured, it was a good thing he got them out of there when he did.

"Of course." She said with the utmost confidence as she tried to get up off the bed "I'm better at you in _everything_."

Getting up and walking over toward her because she made another fool of herself, Lorkan began to feel a little agitated. What was she trying to prove anyway with the 'I'm better than you' crap? He didn't really give a shit about that stuff, but it seemed to be of the utmost importance to her. It really _was_ annoying. "Sure mon, whatever." His voice held none of its usual cheer, he simply stood by and waited for her to wobble and possibly fall on her face from being an idiot and drinking too much like child.

"Jealous?" she wanted to know. She wobbled a bit and Lorkan shot out an arm to steady her.

"Hardly." He said, trying to guide her back to the bed. Why had he wasted his time with this woman again? "Get some sleep she-elf. Ya gonna be hatin' yaself in da mornin'."

"You don't believe me." It was a statement and she looked a little offended by his nonverbal agreement "Fine then, _test_ me. An…s…s..stop callin' me she-elf. I detest that name."

He flashed her a humorless smile "Test ya huh? Rather not, since ya be drunk off ya preety leetl' ass." He did smile at that, amused by his joke. He let his thoughts wander for a bit. Oh yes, she did have a nice cute little…

"I can dance better than you." She cut in, interrupting his thoughts. At this statement, he did grin toothily, ideas coming into his head faster than he could possibly think.

"Dat so?" he said. Night Elf women were rumored to have the most beautiful dancing in all of the land. He had never seen it before, and she had caught his interest "Ya right, I dun believe ya." The only downside to this situation was that she was drunk, so the dance probably wouldn't be as good.

Oh well, she'd still probably look pretty good doing it, so he'd take his losses.

She moved away from his grip, still a little wobbly "A contest then." She said "I'll prove to you that I'm the better dancer…that I'm better at _everything_."

The grin never faded "Less talkin' mo dancin' she-elf." He remarked.

He watched as she wobbled over to the middle of the room, still very unsteady on her feet. She turned a bit when she reached her destination and then wobbled horribly, flapping her arms and trying not to fall. He didn't help her this time, she'd probably get mad if he did. Besides that, his heart was beginning to pound rather loudly in his ears, and he had no idea as to why.

Then suddenly, Celysel closed her eyes and stood up to her full height. She breathed in, and then out, slowly. She did this for about ten seconds before her eyes opened, their bright depths staring at the wall, her face serene but serious. Any signs of her being drunk were gone now; it was if her body had taken up a mind of its own. Before his mind had fully processed what was going on, Celysel had begun her dance, and he could do nothing but stand there, entranced. Her movements were as fluid as the finest silk, her body moved almost provocatively and yet at the same time, it was beautiful.

Her clothing that had seemed to cover too much now seemed to not cover enough as she danced. Her gaze turned to him, dark and inviting. It was probably a part of the dance, and he wondered if there was a male version to it, because he definitely wanted to learn it and dance it with her. Lorkan had seen dances before, he had seen people even try to imitate the Night Elves dance, but it was nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to what Celysel was doing. She didn't jump around or leap or anything, her movements were always steady, always flowing, always graceful. She looked like an exotic doll, a priceless object that was meant to be locked away and kept to themselves. Despite the fact that she had no partner she looked at him as if he was. He didn't even have to move as she danced her away over to him. He stood as still as a statue as her body brushed against his ever so lightly, as her lips brushed over his chest like a feather. He refused to move when he felt her hands, warm and inviting, hover over his skin. He didn't move at all, he simply watched her, for he could do nothing else. A minute later she was moving away from him, her body going long with music that he could not hear, and at the moment, he really didn't give two shits about. Need hit him hard, and as he watched her wind down into a series of bends and swerve of hips he felt his desire for her rise to a strength he hadn't realized he felt. It might have been because he hadn't been in the arms of a woman in a while, it could have been those few drinks he had had earlier, but he doubted it. Maybe it was just something that had been building up inside of him these past two months and he hadn't realized it, he honestly didn't know. What he did know was that if she continued to press herself against him like that, he wouldn't be responsible for his actions.

When she stopped she was breathless and he watched with slight fascination at how her chest rose and fell. With a sigh and a slight hiccup, she began to take off her clothes. Of course she was. She was trying to torture him, test his limits.

Well, he was at his limits and then some.

"It's so hot…" she muttered as she began to strip out of the slightly baggy pants. "Aren't you hot?"

"Ya mon." he said, his voice coming out thicker than he had wanted it to. He swallowed, finding his throat rather tight. "Real hot."

She smiled at him then, but he could still tell that she was drunk. She was hiding it pretty well, he had to give her credit for that at least. "And I told you I could dance better…" she paused in her speech as she removed her pants. Now clad in only a bra and underwear, she tried to force herself to walk straight over to him, but she ended up tilting more to the side. She did successfully reach him, however, and was now looking up at him, her expression one of defiance and success. He wasn't looking at her face, he was looking at the lovely view she was giving him.

Gods, he wanted her so badly.

"It's…your turn." She said, trying not to tilt to the side "C'mon, let's see what you got." In order to better stabilize herself, her body began to use his for support, and in Lorkan's mind, that was the final straw. When she looked back up at him, instead of answering her his arms pulled her tightly to his body, immediately reacting to the softness of her body against his. She gave him a slight quizzical look and as she opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing, his head came down and his lips captured hers, pulling her into a powerful and slightly rough kiss.

(Insert naughty scene here that you guys on don't get to read...)

--------

The morning was a harsh mistress. Celysel woke up with a striking headache and a rather deliciously sore body. She sat up in bed and covered her eyes from the sun that was trying to peek in through the clouds. Sun was bad. She didn't like the sun.

Her thoughts were hazy and she couldn't think straight. Where was she? Last night was somewhat of a blur for her. She remembered drinking a glass of liquid that tasted like berry juice, and then…

Her hand brushed against something soft and warm and she looked down, her eyes widening in alarm as she realized just what that warm thing was.

Lorkan.

Oh Goddess, she had slept with Lorkan.

Memories hit her hard as well as desire as she remembered last night. What has she been thinking? Oh wait, she hadn't been, she had been drunk.

_This can't happen._ She thought _I'm a Night Elf, he's a Troll. But I just…I slept with him, he was my first, I can't believe I did this, my father, everyone, what would they think?_ But try as she could, she could bring herself to regret it. Oh no, she had _enjoyed_ it, from the time he had kissed her till her climax, she had enjoyed every last bit. It didn't matter that it was wrong, or that she barely knew him, or that her heart skipped a beat now when she glanced at him. That didn't matter. What mattered is that deep down in her heart, _she'd do it again_.

"Goddess forgive me." She whispered and began to slide out of the bed, hoping to quickly dress and leave. Of course, she wasn't so fortunate, as a long arm snaked out and grabbed her, Lorkan's eyes boring into her as he stared at her with such intensity. She didn't want him to look at her that way.

"Celysel…" he began

No. She didn't want to hear it. She didn't. She had to get away, she _needed_ to get away. "I…I have to go." She was shaky, her head hurt, she felt good and yet like crap at the same time, and she felt like she was going to be sick "Please, I need to go."

He sat up and moved to grab her but she maneuvered out of his way, scrambling for her clothes. This had been a mistake, even if she didn't regret it, it was a mistake. "I have to leave…I have to…"

"Celysel."

No, no, no! Why now, why was he using her name? When he said it, it just did things to her heart that she didn't want to happen "No, I can't, please Lorkan…"

When she had grabbed her clothes she looked up only to stare at Lorkan's chest. Strong hands grabbed her shoulders and she felt herself being pulled into an embrace.

"It happened." He said softly "It won't bad, come back ta bed." He was trying to comfort her, to calm her down. She could feel it; he didn't think she was thinking straight. She was, he just wasn't thinking straight.

"Please, let me go." She said "This is wrong. We…what we did…"

"It was good right?" he said "Don't fight it leetl' un. C'mon, let's talk bout dis."

"_No_." she said firmly, pushing him away. She quickly began to put on her clothing. It was still damp from last night, but she didn't care. "I have to go, I'm sorry. I just…I just can't deal with this right now."

"A'right." came the soft reply.

He let her change and leave without saying or doing anything else. When the door closed softly behind her, Lorkan sat down, shaking his head. Whether or was more towards himself or her was undetermined.

"I be a fool mon."


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Just a note, most chapters (not all) take place months after the initial chapter. The actual month time will vary, but I just thought I'd make that known._ Um...WoW don't belong to me.

Love Has Its Reasons

Chapter Three

Lorkan was finally convinced that he had gone mad. It had been almost four months since he had last laid eyes on that Night Elf, and he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her as if she had been in his bed just last night. Her smile, her body, her personality, even though the latter was a bit surprising to him, he missed everything about her. _That_ wasn't healthy, and he knew it. He was upset about the fact that she had left before they could resolve anything.

_And wut da hell was dere to resolve?_ He thought to himself harshly. _Ev'ryting is better dis way. If I dun see'er again it was just a tumble in da sheets. Dat should be all to it._ It was really grating at his nerves that it wasn't 'all to it'. His thoughts were constantly plagued by her. It was becoming difficult to hunt as proficiently, his desires were constantly bothering him to the point that cold baths were an almost daily thing. He thought that with time he'd get over her, but as time went on, his symptoms became worse. Even his half brother, Rohkan had shot him some looks and asked some questions, and they hardly ever saw each other.

"Ey, mon…" a voice, similar to his own albeit a little deeper came in from outside his hut "Can't answer doors now?"

The hunter rolled over in his straw bed, turning his back on his new visitor. Lorkan's hut was very small and provided only the basic needs; sink, toilet, and a dresser. Everything was made out of wood or straw, including his bed. His weapons were hung neatly in their respective racks, everything was surprisingly tidy. He took baths in the local river and so had no desire to install a tub in his little hut, or expand it to live more comfortably. He didn't stay too long in his place anyway, so he didn't see the need to make it 'visitor friendly'. It was clean wasn't it? That was visitor friendly enough for him. The only other person that slept in his one room abode was Jork, and his pet usually opted to sleep outside anyway. In regards to his visitor, he had known Rohkan was coming to talk to him about something, but in between naps and trying not to think of silky blue skin and silver hair, he was mixed between not caring and forgetting.

"G'way. Sleepin." Lorkan told his older brother, slinging a long arm in front of his face, shielding out the afternoon sun. Why was it so hot in Durotar anyway? He was practically sleeping naked every night, and dreaming about Celysel until morning. Again, cold baths were becoming a constant in his life.

The bead curtain that was serving as his door made its presence known as the Shadow Hunter entered the hut, looking around in mild fascination. Rohkan was Lorkan's half brother through the same father. Their father, being the average male Hunter Troll ended up having six children in all, two or three of them maybe actually having the exact same parents. Lorkan was the middle child, Rohkan was the oldest. Being almost a ten year difference between the two of them, Rohkan had probably seen and done more than his younger brother, and they were unusually close because of the professions they had chosen. The two had similar personalities, both liked to joke around and liked to mess with people's heads, and both could become serious when needed. Unfortunately, or at least Lorkan though, they didn't really have the same taste in women. Rohkan normally only messed around with Troll women, Lorkan on the other hand…

_I need ta stop tinkin bout'er._ Lorkan thought, annoyed.

"Git up lazy. Ya been sleepin' all day." Rohkan walked over and grabbed his brother's shoulder, shaking him rather hard. After about a minute of this, Lorkan, grumbling and swatting, rolled over, propping his head on his hand, giving Rohkan an irritated glance.

"Wut da hell ya be wantin?" the hunter asked, obviously irritated about being disturbed from his nap. Actually, he probably knew what his older brother had come for, and it was a subject he really didn't want to discuss, least of all not to him. Ignoring Rohkan for any long length of time, however, was unwise, for the Shadow Hunter had a _very_ wicked sense of humor when he was so inclined. Lorkan had learned that the hard way.

"Came ta talk to ya." Was the simple reply as a small stool was pulled out from near the dresser. Rohkan sank into it, using the dresser as an arm rest as he leaned back. "Ya be lookin' troubled lately mon."

He was troubled. He was plagued by a woman he hardly knew, he wanted to be near her, with her, even though it was impossible. The desire to run off and find her had become so overwhelming over the past few months that he had almost forced himself into a kind of house arrest, only going out to take Jork hunting. And the cold baths were really, really, _really_ starting to piss him off. He had even tried seeking solace in the arms of another woman, but it just wasn't the same anymore. He had went to the bar only two weeks ago and tried to find someone to maybe get his mind off of Celysel. He had found a rather pretty Troll woman, but he felt no real physical attraction to her as he would have before. Even kissing her had been a bit uneventful and slightly annoying. In the end, he had went home more miserable than when he had arrived, and the desire that should have been for the Troll woman ended up becoming an even stronger desire for Celysel, meaning he had a nice long cold bath that night.

He was tired of cold baths. He wanted Celysel.

Trying to shrug it off, Lorkan forced himself to look nonchalant "We got a war goin' on, I be havin' ta watch my back all de time an' wit de Alliance comin' round an' killin' stuff, huntin' been gittin scarce. Dat good 'nough cause fo' troubled lookin me tinks."

Rohkan smirked, making Lorkan feel uneasy. When Rohkan smiled like that, he was obviously at a conclusion of sorts, and usually his guesses were right. Lorkan never got much into Vodoo, but his brother was proficient in it, and he just sometimes knew things that other people didn't know.

"Mebbe ya been troubled fo' other reasons eh?" the Shadow Hunter wanted to know. "I be seein' ya takin' mo' baths den usual. Not like ya ta stay home all day either. Ya keep grumblin' to yaself." He leaned forward, the smirk never fading "Now, fore I start gettin' serious I wanna know, who got my leetl' bro so sprung eh? It gotta be a woman da way ya been actin. I e'vn heard ya turned down Sersi, and she be a preety one, dat girl."

Did nothing get past him? Lorkan was amazed at how much his brother knew when he wasn't even around that often. How long had he been watching his actions? Had Rohkan been here longer than he had originally thought? It would explain why he'd know so much in only a week. He had probably been asking around, or maybe it was magic, he had no real idea. Either way, it was really annoying that Rohkan knew what was going on in his life, and he really didn't like people getting into his business. He didn't mind getting into other people's business, but _his_ business was his own. Sitting up fully, Lorkan looked at his older brother with a thoughtful frown on his face. His brother, for the moment, seemed to be eating the entire situation up, it was downright hilarious to him.

He decided not to lie. Maybe if he got it off his chest he'd have an easier time moving on. "Her name be Celysel." Lorkan began "She be a Druid."

Rohkan gave his brother a look of surprise, leaning back a bit. He whistled "Wow mon, didn't know ya liked the big uns. Taurens, dey be a heavy bunch, but if _dat's_ what gotchu…"

"What! You jokin' right? Bro," he began to chuckle "_Bro._ No. Never will ya see me wit somethin' twice my size in build." But as soon as he said that, he realized what he had just said. There were only two races that were Druids, Taurens and…

"She be a Night Elf den." Rohkan said, his voice becoming quiet and thoughtful. The afternoon sun was beginning to set and night time was quickly approaching. Soon the room temperature would steadily drop and become a little more bearable, but also, secrets were better held in the darkness, where no one could hear.

It was a long time before the Shadow Hunter spoke, and the two sat in slightly uncomfortable silence. Lorkan wasn't sure what his brother would do now, and there were a number of things that could be done. One would be to rid his brother of the problem, ie: kill Celysel. Another would be to try and wipe Lorkan's memories of the woman away, but the feelings would not go with it, and Lorkan already knew he'd just end up being unable to be with a woman and not knowing why.

Another would be for Lorkan to just not see her again, and if he did, ignore her and try to continue on with life. Eventually, he'd get over this phase with her and be right and healthy again. The final conclusion would be for him to return to her, quenching his desire and hope that maybe the feeling would go away. That last option left him unhopeful.

"Lorkan…" his brother finally began, gaining his attention. Rohkan's voice was still quiet and dark, and he had a rather solemn look on his face "Dis game you be playin', it's dangerous."

If only it were a game! If only it were that easy! No, this wasn't a game, he was seriously having problems with this situation, and he _knew_ it was dangerous, but he could stop his feelings about as well as a person could fly without magic.

"I been seein tings," Rohkan continued, "Tings dat bother me. Dis she-elf you be talkin' to, she gonna be nuthin' but heartache mon." sighing, he leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. He was now looking up at the ceiling and Lorkan noticed how the paint he had on his face was beginning to stand out a bit more as it became night. Like him, Rohkan was wearing very little to cover his body at the moment. "I had a vision, I saw ya wit'cher leetle Night Elf. Can't see too far ahead, but don't nuthin come good of it mon. I came 'ere ta warn ya."

"Leetle late for dat dun'cha tink?" Lorkan sank back into his straw bed, his arm moving over his eyes. "Bro, I can't stop tinkin' bout 'er. Met'er six months ago and I be hatin' e'ry minute now. Four months ago we had a tumble, it been 'ell since. It'd be simple if I were wantin' jus' some mo of da same, but I be wantin' dat and mo', much mo', and I dun e'en know wut dat is. I wanna talk to'er, but I know it'll jus' git worse. Last time she jus' left, I had wanted ta talk some mo'."

"Well, mebbe ya just need some closure den." Rohkan suggested. "Mebbe den ya be fine."

That somewhat made sense. He could go and try to talk to Celysel, set things straight, and then he could move on. Sersi was beautiful and she wanted him. Were it not for Celysel plaguing him, he'd want Sersi as well. The Night Elf had to go, a relationship was impossible, and trying was foolish.

"Ya be right bro." Lorkan acknowledged "I jus' need closure. I'll go talk to 'er , set it right and be on my way. Piece of cake mon."

There was silence before Rohkan answered, but his voice held no humor. Indeed, his voice sounded almost as if he were pitying his brother "Let's hope so mon, let's hope so."

Too busy thinking about what he was going to do now that he had an answer to his problem, Lorkan ignored his brother's down tone as he began to pack his bags. Yeah, he'd go to Ashenvale and find Celysel. She'd have to be there for sure. He'd go talk to her and they'd set everything straight. She'd agree with him anyway, they couldn't be together, she was Alliance and he was Horde. There could never be anything between them because of this, she could never been his woman and he could never be her man. Even though he had taken her virginity from her she'd still be able to find someone among her people who would take her, or maybe even a nice human or something. Yes, it'd work out. And then, when that was done, he come back home to Sersi, who was more than willing to give him anything he ever wanted.

It'd work. It had to.

-----

The Night Elf Druid was faring no better. As with Lorkan, Celysel's thoughts were constantly on him, and with the same confusion. She was having problems thinking straight on quests and eventually retired in Ashenvale for a while to collect her thoughts. Although she had proven herself to be a capable Druid despite her age, she felt weak and helpless over something so simple. She had already come to terms with the fact that she had lost her virginity to a Troll, something that had _never_ once crossed her mind in her entire life. She had even come to terms with the fact that said troll was an _excellent_ lover and her dreams were plagued with reenactments of that night they spent together. Whenever she closed her eyes she would see him, smiling that annoying grin of his and looking at her. She could remember the taste of him, the feel of his skin on hers. He had made her feel so _wonderful_ that night, but it had been invading her mind ever since.

Fear had caused her to leave him that morning. He had wanted to sit and talk, she had known that, but fear dictated that she leave, and fear had been holding the upper hand on her motor functions that day. She had fled like the coward she was, because she didn't want to face the horrible thing she had done. No, it wasn't horrible, it had been wonderful, lovely, and as much as she wanted to, she couldn't regret it. She knew the moment she woke up that if it were to happen again, she would let it, no questions asked. The fact that she should have been ashamed and was not only made her feel worse about it. None of her people would have accepted it, in fact, she'd be lucky if they let her stay within Night Elf territory. She could already hear their painful curses in her mind, stabbing into her heart and ripping her to shreds. _Traitorous whore._ Those words throbbed themselves into her brain, sometimes driving her to tears. At first, she had almost been ashamed to come home, as if everyone would know her dirty little secret. If they had known that she had not only gotten irresponsibly drunk in front of so many Horde, but that she had also _willingly_ given herself to a _Troll_…she would bring shame on herself, her family, her race. Even her age was no excuse, she was at the least old enough to know something as basic as _do not sleep with the enemy_. All of the hard work she had endured trying to prove herself as a capable Druid would go completely out the window. If they didn't expel her, they would lock her away and no one like her would ever be able to prove themselves again. She was the stepping stone for others like herself, and she had ruined it before it had even started.

But she couldn't stop thinking about him. It was as if the more she stayed away from him, the more it hurt. Finding him now was almost impossible; she had no clue as to where to even begin looking. She felt like she needed to talk to him, to maybe get a sense of closure. He would agree with her, a relationship between them would never work. She was sure that after speaking to him about it, she'd feel completely better and would be able to move on. There were already suitors that had been approaching her father when she had first left; a lot of them were good men as well. She had met with a few of them while traveling and had found them to be charming. They treated her like a lady, not some colossal joke that was only good for screwing. Indeed, her thoughts had turned a bit bitter towards Lorkan, but she knew that it was probably because she wanted something to blame, and she was tired of blaming herself. Lorkan had treated her like a child that was there for his personal amusement and now obviously, there to have a good lay with as well. He had not tried to come after her four months after the fact, so perhaps he had his fill of her. She shook her head and sighed, he probably never gave her another thought after that day.

Reaching over and picking up an envelope from her dresser she reopened the letter from her father, reading over it again and again in her inn room. Alliance inns were a bit better taken care of than Horde inns were. Her bed was a little small but soft, a large rug sat in the middle of the room. The bathroom was beautiful with its porcelain sink and tub and gold handles. Her dresser was white and tipped with gold, beautiful designs carved into its soft wood. It was also a bit larger, and designed for one person instead of the possibility of just any space you could find in a hole. While her room was beautiful, she was feeling no less than garbage, and the letter wasn't helping.

_Celysel,_

_How are you, my darling daughter? I miss you terribly, but I do have some good news. Because of my contributions to the Alliance and with your accomplishments being so young, I have been given a status of nobility, and have been placed on the council. We no longer need to work for anything, and your potential suitors have increased since you have departed. I would like for you to meet some of them, perhaps when you find a mate, you two may be able to become splendid well-rounded individuals together. Please come home in a few weeks, we do have so much to catch up on._

_All my love,_

And her father's signature, beautiful and graceful was adorned on the bottom. Celysel's heart sank. She could not make herself a virgin again, whoever she decided on marrying would eventually know, and then what would she do? She could lie, but she was a horrible liar. Running away wasn't an option either. Now that her father had some small power, she knew he would use it to try and find her, after all, she was now an _asset_ to the Alliance cause.

There was a knock on the door and Celysel jumped up, her nerves already a bit badly shaken. "W-who is it?" she asked nervously, her hand flying to her chest in an attempt to steady her heart. Was it someone her father sent? Had he gotten impatient and decided to have her brought home? Did he have someone to marry her off too? Did he…

"Oy, it's me Celysel, Bari Blackhammer! Open up lass, I'm gettin' a wee bit tired standin' out 'ere."

Bari, good old Bari! Bari was a Dwarf that she had befriended on one of her more dangerous quests. The Hunter was a good man, and she found a trustworthy one. Since her first dangerous quest he had accompanied her on many more over the span of six months, and it seemed that he had found her once again. He had known about her first encounter with Lorkan, but she had been too afraid to tell him that, for fear that he'd do one to two things: misunderstand and try to kill Lorkan, or disown their friendship and never speak to her again. She really liked and respected Bari, she did not wish to lose his friendship.

Slowly sliding herself out of bed she walked over to the door, letting the black haired dwarf in. He stood up to about her waist and his armor was thin for the moment. He left his weapon behind as well, which meant that he was probably staying in a room fairly close to her own. He had his long beard parted and braided in two, and his long hair was also braided into one fat plait. He walked inside her room, grabbing a chair and sitting down, scratching his head a bit. As Celysel closed the door and gave him a small greeting, she noticed that he was looking at her with rather hard eyes, and her heart beat began to quicken. Did he know something? He looked angry.

"Lass," he began his hand moving to stroke his beard absent mindedly "We ain't known each other long 'ave we?"

Shaking her head mutely, he continued.

"Despite dat though, I feel like we're friends. We are friends aren't we?" his gaze on her was like steel now, and it made her feel extremely uneasy.

"Yes." Celysel said softly, walking over to the bed and sitting down, her hands in her lap. Her unease was now painfully obvious, but Bari's gaze didn't waver. "I feel that we are close friends."

"Then I want the truth, why are ye so troubled?" at this question, the Dwarf's eyes warmed considerably as he leaned forward to take her hand in his. When Celysel looked at him she could see his almost brotherly concern for her in his eyes. Dwarves and Elves normally did not get along, but when a Dwarf made a friend, they made friends for life. Celysel had felt herself lucky to have befriended such a powerful hunter as him, and she knew that was all there was to it; friendship. She smiled and patted his hands gently, already beginning to feel better. She knew that she could tell him anything, and he would not judge her. He had even noticed her distress, and was upset that she hadn't tried to share it with him so he could help her. She felt bad for not doing that, and she made a mental note to not do so in the future.

"I have a horrible secret that I am going to tell you." Celysel began "And you may hate me for what I am about to tell you. This problem has been haunting me for the past four months, and I no longer know what to do. There is a male. I met him almost six months ago and thought nothing of it…" as she continued to tell him her story, she carefully watched the Dwarf's face for any damning expressions. At one point he did look surprised, but for the most part, he remained attentive and quiet, calmly letting her finish. When she had told her story he leaned back with a sigh, still rubbing his chin.

"Well Celysel, it would seem ye got a bit o' a problem dere." Bari eventually said "Ye say he's a Hunter eh?"

"Yes Bari, but that is not the problem." Feeling a bit depressed now that everything was out in the open, she found that she was hugging herself, and the desire to weep was strong. What was wrong with her? She had just wanted to prove that she could handle the world, and she had failed so miserably it was almost physically painful.

"What be the problem then lass?" the Hunter wanted to know.

"I do not know what to do Bari, I am so confused!" Celysel stood up, pacing the room and being careful not to trip over her newly acquired robe "I cannot stop thinking about him, I cannot stop desiring him. I wish to be rid of him and yet I cannot. I feel that if I were to simply speak to him then maybe I could move on, have some closure but something tells me that if I tried to speak to him, everything would just turn into chaos."

"Aye, lass. You're probably correct 'bout that." Bari said softly, hoping not to rile her up more than she already was "Listen, ye be young for ye kind, 'an I understand why ye so upset but ye not like those other Elves out there. I treat ye like I do coz I love ya as if ye were me own sis. Don't be alarmed when I say this but, coming from someone who has seven older sisters, methinks ye in love lass. Or ye fallin' in love, whichever." Before she could protest, the Dwarf held up a hand to silence her, standing up. "I know ye dun believe me, so I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna help ye find ye Troll, and then once ye done 'gettin' yer closure' I want you to tell me if ye think I'm still wrong." He walked over to the door and opened it "Think about me words Celysel, think long and hard. Because if that's what it is, ye got a _long, hard_ road ahead of ye, and I'll only be able to wish ye the best of luck. If ye needs me, ye know where I'll be. See ye in the mornin." And with that, he closed the door behind him softly, leaving Celysel alone with her thoughts.

_In love?_ She thought to herself. Bari was wrong, there was no way she could be in love with someone she didn't even know. Well, she knew his name, and other intimate parts about him physically, but it was nothing that a relationship could be based off of. Sure her body now hummed with desire whenever she thought about him, which was constantly, but that didn't mean love. It could probably mean that she just lusted over what he could do to her. And yes she did think about him all the time, but what more could she think of besides his attitude and their lovemaking? She didn't know anything else about him, and he knew even less of her. She wasn't going to lie; she did feel a sort of attachment towards him, but she felt that it was more because of the fact that he had taken her virginity, and that wasn't just something you could get back. She had given him something that no other man could take, of course sentimentalities would be attached to it. It wasn't love, it was desire. She _wanted_ him, she didn't want to _be_ with him. She didn't. It was impossible either way. She denied that her heart was happy about the fact that Bari was going to help her find Lorkan. She denied the fact that deep down, she longed to see him again, to touch him, to just be with him. She denied the fact that her feelings were anything more than the fact that he was a good lover. She denied the feeling that she had, that feeling which told her that things were only going to get deeper, because it wasn't true. None of it was true, so she denied it. She would find Lorkan, and she would find her closure, and then they would be no more.  
And that was all there was to it.


	4. Chapter 4

-1_AN: This chapter is going to seem rushed. I apologize ahead of time._

Chapter Four

As much as Lorkan loved his home, he had to admit that the land of the Night Elves was indeed beautiful. Where his home was bereft of trees and shade, this beautiful land was lush with vegetation and trees. There had not been one time since he had entered this land that his feet did not touch grass that was so soft it could have been an exotic carpet. His home had once been this beautiful, now it was nothing but a wasteland for the folly of foolish ancestors. Foolish _Night Elf_ ancestors. Sometimes he found Night Elves to be the biggest idiots in the entire world.

_Except for Celysel right?_ An unbidden thought appeared. _Yes, 'er too._ He answered smartly. He refused to let his brain turn against him; he had better control than that, damnit.

At the thought of her he felt his body clench in excitement and a small spring appeared in his step. Somehow she had found him and sent him a letter, asking him to meet her here in Ashenvale. Maybe she was having the same problems that he was having, and she wanted closure as well. That was good as for one, he didn't have to go looking for her, two, he could get this done and over with as soon as possible and be on his merry little way. His desire to purge her from his mind was something he had been insistent on, and she obviously felt the same.

_If dat be so, why you skippin?_

Growling, he forced himself to walk normally, annoyed with himself for getting all giddy and happy about seeing a damned Elf. The entire time he had been on this journey he had been telling himself that she was just an Elf, that she wasn't anything special, and he was getting rid of her. Now, today was the day, and he _was_ going to be rid of her once and for all. He'd tell her to take a hike, get out of his head, and finally he'd go home and everything would be normal. Perfectly _normal_.

When he finally heard footsteps it had been about two hours since he had entered the forest. Jork he had left behind, simply because the animal didn't like Celysel and he always had to feed him and pay him extra attention as Jork got edgy towards him when he became angry. He doubted that he'd lose any loyalties from Jork because of it, but he liked to keep his companions happy. As the footsteps became louder Lorkan reached and grabbed the strap of his rifle, swinging it over his shoulder and raised, ready to strike. While he was sure it was Celysel, he also wasn't stupid. She may have planned an ambush, or it might be a dangerous animal. Either way, one could never be too careful. He aimed his barrel towards the darkness of the woods, his eyes narrowing, his finger on the trigger, ready to strike.

Silver hair was the first thing he saw as she emerged from the forest. Her eyes were as bright as ever, her skin had a healthy glow to it. She was wearing a dark green robe and her staff was strapped to her back, loose just in case she needed it immediately. Her hair was now down past her shoulder blades but she pulled it up into a ponytail. Her steps were quiet and graceful as she emerged from the darkness of the forest, obviously at home in her land of eternal night. She stopped a few feet ahead of him, a gentle smile on her face as she regarded him. Her face told no secrets, he could not tell whether she wanted to see him or not, or if she had missed him as much as he had her. His heart was pounding in his chest and for the longest time he could do nothing but stand there, his weapon held loosely at his side, his mouth slightly agape. She was _beautiful_, more beautiful than when he had last seen her.

"Lorkan…it is…" she looked away from him then, her expression growing downcast. He felt a strong urge to walk over to her and pull her close. He wanted to comfort her, until he realized what he was doing. What power did this female hold over him?

"Good ta see ya?" he offered, knocking himself out of his slight stupor and grinning at her, shouldering his gun. When her gaze turned to him and she smiled, he felt a thousand pounds lighter. And he didn't like it.

"Yes." She said slowly, as if testing the thought out "It is good to see you."

_Now tell'er, tell'er that ya be wantin'er gone, that there'll neva be anyting between ya, that ya despis'er and all that she's been doin' ta ya fo dese four months. Tell'er how she's made ya life miserable!_

"I..!" she began again, cutting him off of his thoughts. Her hand was near her heart, clenched into a tight fist. Obviously she had really wanted to convey this message to him, so he stood, attentive. "I…" she began to move nervously, her eyes shifting to stare hard at the ground. "I've missed you." She said it so softly that had he been anything less than a Troll he probably wouldn't have heard it. He had a feeling that it was probably not what she had wanted to say, but it was the truth. He felt the same way, but he wasn't about to voice it for then there would other things that he'd have to force himself to admit, and he wasn't ready for that just yet. "Lorkan, I've had a lot of time to think about what happened between us four months ago," she continued, "And I came here to tell you that I don't regret any of it."

He let that sink in for a second. What exactly did that mean 'she didn't regret any of it'? Well, he didn't really regret any of it either, but her admitting the same wasn't what he had expected. He looked at her posture; she was tense and nervous, not trying very hard not to show it. He didn't really understand why she was so bent out of shape, if they were both here for the same thing, it shouldn't even be a problem, and yet she was hesitating.

"It wouldn't work." she said softly, interrupting him from his thoughts "But you already know that." she took a deep breath, and he steeled himself for what he knew was going to be a long speech "These past few months I have been unable to stop thinking about you and what happened that night. A part of me wants to wish that it had not happened, but it did, and I have no regrets about it. I am not sure why you came here to meet me, since I was probably just another casual bed partner for you, but I cannot say that it was the same for me. I feel an attachment towards you, but I know that it will never be. I came here today because..." she paused, as if trying to think of her words carefully "I came here today because I felt as if I needed some closure, so that I may perhaps move on. I am assuming you are here for the same thing?"

He was, but it wasn't what she was thinking. Casual bed partner? When he thought about it, it didn't sound right to him. He had a few choice adjectives that he could use to describe how he felt about her, but 'casual bed partner' was not one of them. He felt himself growing a bit defensive of her opinion of him. "Ey, na..." Lorkan began "Ya tryin' ta say I jus' go round sleepin' wit whate'va got legs mon? Gimme some credit, I gots good taste." he looked her up and down, grinning to himself "Wouldn't ya agree?"

Her eyes widened and he watched with barely contained humor as she want from surprised to fuming, her face turning a lovely shade of red. It was just so _easy_ to get her riled up, and she really did look beautiful when angry. He resisted the strong urge to walk over and kiss that sexy expression off of her face. As soon as he thought about that, many more unbidden thoughts began to emerge in his mind, thoughts of...

_None of dat_. He scolded himself _You didn' come for dat mon. Calm yaself down._

Raising a dainty finger, Celysel pointed at him, obviously showing that she was quite upset "And that is another thing, you and your..." she began to splutter, at a loss for words as she was so angry. He really didn't get why she got so mad about the fact that he found her to be sexy.

Wouldn't a female normally be _happy_ that a guy was appreciative of their body? He didn't get her sometimes.

"Flirtin'?" he offered, still smiling "Leetle un, ya should take it as a compliment." he began to walk over towards her, leaning forward so that his face was inches from hers. He noticed the way her breath caught in her throat, how she always seemed to smell like fresh rain and flowers. "Ya be beautiful Celysel, and I like ta admire beautiful tings." his voice was a low rumble as he turned his head to the side, moving to take in her scent. Her scent was so intoxicating; he could just nuzzle her neck all day and never get tired. This was wrong, and he knew it, and he knew where it could lead, but the logical part of his brain was so _boring_ sometimes, so Lorkan let it take a vacation, just for now.

_Keep it up, ya gonna be regrettin' dis._

He moved his body closer to hers as she backed away, eventually backing up against a tree. Now his lips were lightly brushing against her neck, his arms were blocking any attempt for a hasty retreat. His desire for her had flared up since she had first emerged from the woods, but he had been denying it. Hell, his desire for her had been flared up for the past four months, this was no different from any other day besides the fact that now she was standing in front of him, her breathing shallow, exposing her neck for his mouth to explore, and just looking downright _sexy_. The logical part of his brain was refusing to take its vacation, instead beating at him, demanding him to take a step back and look at what he was doing. A part of him wanted to listen to good ol' logic for it usually served him well. Since majority ruled, however, logic was given a freshly polished boot to the ass, leaving Lorkan to work purely on instinct and desire, which was not always a good combination.

Apparently, Celysel was better at listening to logic than he was, for she suddenly was pushing him away, trying to force some distance between them. Although he was stronger than her and really didn't have to move despite her protesting, he did allow her some distance, albeit a very small amount. He still had her trapped, but he wasn't all over her anymore. The more primal, dominant part of him groaned inwardly at the distance that she had insisted on, the logical part, which now only had a tiny voice, said that this was for the best. They both knew, however, that this was only a temporary setback on his part.

"We shouldn't be doing this." she said as if she had rehearsed it over and over in her mind. She paused and looked away, as if she were trying to think of a way to word her next sentence. Lorkan, knowing when trouble was rising, leaned back a bit, looking at her curiously. Silver strands were beginning to fall to the side of her face, and combined with her natural glow, she looked even more beautiful and he couldn't help but brush his fingers against her cheek, pushing aside strands of her hair. He briefly wondered what she would think if she knew what he was thinking right at this moment. "I've been thinking about this a lot." She continued, successfully breaking him out of his train of thought, "And I feel that all this is, is a very strong physical attraction." When he didn't agree with the fact that she was very good at pointing out the obvious she decided to go on "…And I don't want that."

But he did, and he wasn't going to deny that much anymore. His feelings weren't _purely_ physical, he _did_ feel something for her, although it wasn't that strong and it was definitely indefinable. He figured that if he let it, it probably could grow into something more than that, but he didn't know her all that well, and he had never really been given the chance. Since she was a woman, and women tended to think more with their emotions than their, well, other parts, he figured that like most women, if they were to have anything at all, it would have to be more than just on a sexual basis. About an hour ago, he probably would have told her to take a hike, 'dumped her' in a sense, and went home. Now, he thought about maybe granting her request, not only because he'd probably receive some physical gratification from it, but because he really did find her to be interesting, and maybe getting to know her wasn't so bad after all.

The logical part of his brain was absolutely _appalled_ by its own behavior and tried to get him to _think_. How exactly would they get to know each other? They were different playing fields, brought together only by chance. The warnings his brother had given him were not to be taken lightly, if he tried to be with this woman, heartache would follow. Lorkan had prided himself on living a troubled-free life. With Celysel, he was bound to have more than enough trouble to make his hair go completely grey.

_Jus' do watcha said ya was gonna do and git rid of'er._

But that seemed wrong. He didn't want to just get rid of her, despite the fact that it was the best way. He knew that if he just left it like that he'd be plagued by his actions, which would have made this entire trip be in vain. He had wanted her out of his mind, and while he still somewhat did, he didn't want it to be on bad terms. Afterall, she hadn't really done anything to him that would warrant him to be cruel to her.

"I understand." Lorkan said, nodding. No, no female that actually wanted a relationship would want just sex. She'd want a companion, someone that she could connect with. Sex, while good, was not enough. He could respect that but he wasn't sure he could give her what she wanted. Even if something were to happen between them, their relationship would be seriously limited by distance, and they wouldn't even be able to write each other, because messengers did not cross territories. Unless they decided to live together, which was out of the question, their relationship would indeed be one of hardship and trust. He liked her just fine, and while he didn't distrust her, he trusted her not to set him up. She didn't trust him, however, although he had never given her a reason to feel otherwise. Maybe it was that whole complex female thing.

She seemed surprised by his reaction, for she looked up at him, her look one of surprise "You do?" she asked. Obviously, she had not thought that he would care for her desires to have something meaningful in a relationship. "I'm sorry I just…" she looked away from him again, looking ashamed of whatever thoughts had been going on in her pretty little head. The urge to wrap his arms around her and comfort her, to let her know that everything was fine was strong. He hadn't been offended by her remark, but he guessed that maybe she felt he should have been. He had thought her earlier comment about his sleeping habits were a bit out of line, but he wasn't the type to stay angry about something so simple.

"No offense taken." He said, saying the words only to make her feel better. It did work, she visibly relaxed so he decided to continue, "Look, Celysel, I'd be a fo' to say I didn't find ya attractive. Anyone who disagrees be a blind fo'. I ain't gonna say I didn't like wat happen' four months ago, coz I did. Like ta have mo' of da same if possible…" he gave her a toothy grin when her face turned scarlet. He was secretly glad that she didn't scowl at him this time, meaning she had probably been telling the truth when she said she hadn't regretted that night. "But ya say ya be wantin' someting mo' tangible right?" when she nodded, he sighed. "I dunno if I can do dat, since distance be a main factor in dis."

Her gaze turned curious as she regarded him silently. She opened her mouth as if to ask a question, but the closed it shut. She did this a few more times, reminding Lorkan of a fish out of water. He knew what she was probably thinking. His words insinuated that he would possibly want something with her, a relationship that had more than just physical involvement. He wasn't sure what he thought about his statement either, since that was the exact opposite of what he was here for and it was something that just didn't make sense. Why was he even bothering?

"Are you saying you want a relationship with me?" she asked, her eyes widening in disbelief. He could tell that his response was the last thing she had expected to hear, and quite truthfully, he felt the same way. He wasn't really sure why he was saying these words, why he even wanted to bother. All common sense pointed to the more reasonable answer of leaving her, but deep down, he knew it wouldn't be all that simple. It was that reason, he now realized, that he had wanted her to stay and talk the morning after when he didn't understand why he had wanted her to stay. She _was_ interesting, and beautiful. She was also kind and intelligent, and for a Night Elf being the age he assumed she was, he thought that was rather impressive. As a Druid she seemed to be the capable fighter, she was definitely no weakling, and he had always preferred strong women over anything else. She was well rounded, and if she had been a Troll, she would have been more than a suitable mate for him. But that was the kicker; she wasn't a Troll, and that was the only flaw in her and he couldn't really fault her for being born a Night Elf.

Now terribly confused, Lorkan completely moved away from her, scratching his head as he usually did when he was confused about something. He was torn between going with common sense and going with a small but growing feeling. And besides that, what if she rejected him if he did decide he wanted to be with her?

_Den dat makes ya life a bit easier dun it mon?_

It actually would. If she rejected him, he could probably go home and feel better about the entire situation. He could move on and not worry about 'what ifs' or other persistent thoughts that wouldn't simply go away. He could just go back home and resume life as normal, and the chances of meeting her again would be slim to none.

_Jus' like it was last time?_

He decided not to repeat his previous thought about not seeing her ever again. If things went bad, he really _didn't_ want to see her again, and he didn't want to jinx himself like he had last time. Finally, he decided to speak, "I dunno mon." he said honestly, turning to face her again. "I mean, ya be interstin' and funny…"

"You mean you like to laugh at me." She said rather bitterly, glowering at him. He flashed her another toothy grin.

"Nah, ya prob'ly git upset but ya be sexy when ya get all mad. Dat be why I like ta tease ya. Dun mean no harm." Instead of getting mad, however, she gave him a very shy smile and looked down at her feet. He closed the distance between them again, lifting her chin up with his finger. He looked down at her, at her red stained cheeks and full lips and felt himself grinning broadly. "Wouldn't mind gettin' ta know ya better." He finished, looking at her to gauge her reaction.

They stood there for a long moment, simply staring into each others eyes. He wondered why he had ever thought that he had seen more beautiful women than Celysel, for in this atmosphere and the way she was looking at him, she looked nothing short of a Goddess, and his stomach was doing funny things as he gazed upon her, waiting for her to speak. When she did speak, it was soft and for a second he thought that she had mouthed the words to him.

"It will be difficult." She said, never breaking eye contact with him, wanting, no _needing_ to see his reaction. She was searching for something from him and he wasn't entirely sure of what it was. Surely she wasn't expecting declarations of love or something, he barely knew her. Slowly, he began to feel as if he had walked into some sort of emotional trap. Her response signaled that she was also beginning to give into the possibility of them having a relationship, and he ignored his slight increase in heartbeat rhythm. What would he do if she said yes? He really hadn't thought that far. They had both arrived here with the intention of _not_ getting together, but going their separate ways for good. Somehow, both of them seemed sidetracked on this and neither one of them knew how to get back on track; or if they even wanted to. It was as if someone was pulling their strings, making them go a certain way whether they liked it or not.

"Yeah." Was the only response that he was able to spring forth from the haze of his thoughts, still trying to focus clearly. "We could make it work." Was that him speaking? Surely that was not him, saying that they could make a futile relationship _work_. But then again, perhaps he did want a relationship with her, he wasn't sure. Confusion was causing him to say and do things without thinking them through, and his expression was well noticed by Celysel, who looked as equally confused as he. When he looked at her again, she was looking at him as if she were searching for something, and his confusion deepened. What exactly did she want from him? When he felt her fingers touch his face lightly his eyes shot to her, widening a bit in surprise. Her touch was cool and felt nice against his normally warm skin. Her fingers traced his jaw line and traced his tusk, moving back to his cheek again. Her eyes, bright pools of silver light, were gazing at him with a warm expression. He could drown himself in those beautiful eyes of hers.

"Celysel…" he began, his hand moving to capture hers gently. He was quickly losing his train of thought. She seemed to be very good at it somehow.

"Kiss me." She said softly, even going so far as to begin to stand on her tip toes "I need to know something. Please."

Slightly dazed and trying to collect thoughts she had brought him out of, he leaned forward, closing his eyes as her lips lightly brushed against his. It was a gentle kiss, not as demanding as the one he had first given her but definitely just as potent. Slowly, he felt his arms move around her lithe body, pulling her closer to him. She was soft and warm and she tasted like a rather enjoyable fruit he had had as a child. He felt his desire for her increase ten fold, even if it was just to hold her and kiss her like this, it would be fine. He didn't understand how such a simple kiss could do so much damage to the psyche, but then again, his psyche had already been damaged about an hour ago. He moved his hands up and down her back in a soothing gesture, pressing his lips a little firmer on hers. She complied, her arms coming around his neck. They pulled each other together in a tight embrace but did not deepen their kiss, for they both knew what would happen if they went too far.

They soon parted, both needing precious air. Somehow, Lorkan had managed to muse up her hair a bit, when he hadn't even remembered moving his hand through the silky tresses, although it was highly possible. She looked up at him with a pleasantly dazed expression, her full lips turned into a small smile, her eyelids were half closed. If Lorkan hadn't known any better, he would have said she was looking at him _lovingly_.

"Did dat answer ya question?" he asked, feeling a bit satisfied with himself. He was glad that he hadn't gone so far over the edge that he couldn't even kiss a woman properly. He _had_ prided himself on being a rather excellent lover, so he was grateful that his reputation still held its ground firmly.

Instead of answering him, she grabbed the back of his head and before he knew it, she had pressed his lips to hers in a rather passionate and powerful kiss. Groaning softly at the contact he returned her kiss with equal fervor, a bit lightheaded with giddiness. Despite the fact that she didn't want a _purely_ physical relationship, it was obvious that she desired him with the same intensity that he desired her. While he slowly coming to terms that he didn't _mind_ being in a real relationship with Celysel, he would have been extremely disappointed and hard pressed to keep his hands off of her if she had desired distance between them. He was glad that she didn't mind wanting to keep the physical aspect of what had originally drawn them together to begin with. Gaining confidence in his conclusion he parted her lips carefully, delving his tongue into the sweetness of her mouth, enjoying the full taste of her. She responded with a soft moan and mimicked his movements, even going so far as to nibble on his lips when they would part for a moment. He broke the kiss eventually, simply because he had to before something happened. They still had things to discuss, and he wanted to discuss them before they went any further. Slowly, he detangled her arms from around his neck and took a few steps back, giving them some distance. She didn't seem too happy about that to his surprise, but he shook it off and suppressed a grin. If she wanted him, she'd get that and more, later. Later meaning a few minutes if she kept up with those kisses.

"So, wut be da plan mon?" he asked her, a little more confident about the answer. She wasn't a Troll, and she probably wouldn't be nothing but trouble. Their relationship would be largely based on trust due to the simple fact that they were on different sides of the same coin. Besides people who already knew, no one else could be told, due to the severity of their punishments should they be caught. Communication would be limited, they'd probably only see each other for maybe a few months at a time. If it lasted that long. All of those were things they had both considered and yet their attraction to each other never waned. Lorkan could take a hint, even if common sense should have been the majority rule. Trying to deny this relationship would have caused them nothing but misery, not closure. At least this way, they could grow out of each other naturally, instead of trying to fight instincts and feelings that refused to be ignored.

"The plan is…" she began, looking up at him "That this needs to be mutual. Our feelings need to be mutual if this is to work." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes before letting it out in a huff "I like you Lorkan. You're funny and smart, and there's just something about you that attracts me to you. I don't regret the time I've spent with you, so I guess that should have been indication enough. I also desire you. My thoughts have been plagued of you and I..." she trailed off as her face began to turn lovely shades of red. She had a rather nasty habit of blushing, but it was cute, so he couldn't complain. "Doing…things." She decided to leave it at that, ignoring his huge grin at her bashful confession "So I won't lie, I do desire you, but I've never been in a relationship before. I know enough that I want you to like me as well, and that I don't want to just be a sex partner for you. I'd feel like a cheap whore if it was like that."

The concept of her being a cheap whore appalled him. He shook his head "Naw mon, it ain't like dat." He said and meant it. "If I had wanted jus' sex, I could go anywhere fo' dat. I wouldn't be riskin' my neck ta be witcha if I jus' wanted sex."

She knew he had a point and she smiled a little sheepishly, almost as if she were ashamed for her assumptions as to why he had wanted to be with her. His answer also seemed to quell any doubts that she had about it and she closed the gap between them, her arms moving around his waist as she hugged him. He felt his arms close around her small shoulders and surprisingly, it felt as if a huge weight had just been _lifted_ from his shoulders, instead of the other way around. She didn't have to say anything more, he already knew what the outcome of the question that was hovering in the air was.

She was his. And for some odd reason, he no longer found that thought as unappealing as when he had arrived.


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: It's been 3 months since Lorkan and Celysel have gotten together, making it now 9 months since they have initially met. Those who know of Rohkan: I am guessing at his personality. Forgive me if it's wrong._

Love Has Its Reasons

Chapter Five

He didn't have time for this. He _really_ didn't have time for this. Constant raids on Thunder Bluff and surrounding areas from the Alliance were making the Taurens nervous, especially for their young. Of course, they went to the Orcs and Thrall for assistance. Since alliances were good to keep and Thrall was no idiot, he decided to assist and if Orcs assisted, that meant Trolls would be assisting as well. Of course, that mean that since Lorkan was a rather powerful Troll and was very good with terrain and not getting caught, _he_ was assigned to be a scout. Rohkan had also been assigned to scout duty, to see who was doing these raids, how powerful were they, and how many people Thrall needed to send out to deal with the menace. Scout work was usually only dangerous if you got caught. The _paperwork_ on top of _paperwork_ was what he wasn't looking forward to. Rohkan didn't seem too bothered by it, but then again, the Shadow Hunter never really showed much annoyance to _anything_. That wasn't really his problem though. His problem was the raven haired Troll Herbalist that was glaring daggers at his chest. Sersi was beautiful and talented as a Journeyman Herbalist. She was wanted by many males, but never seeming to be interested in any of them. When Lorkan first sought her out, she had looked at him as if he had lost his mind. After her initial shock, however, she immediately clung to him, and had it not been for his constant thoughts of Celysel, he probably would have slept with her. He had spent a month and a half away from home and around the area where Celysel had taken up residence, basically doing the things that new couples did. He had learned a lot about her in that time, and he had been a bit sad when had finally had to depart when the rumor mill went about those raids. Skillfully, but with some effort, Lorkan had managed to avoid Sersi and therefore, avoid any unwanted confrontations. He wasn't good with angry females, especially ones that could poison you. Sersi, however, _refused_ to be ignored for any long period of time. She eventually found his location, and she was _pissed_ when she came to speak to him.

She had actually gotten lucky, he was coming to his little home to pick up some supplies for him and Jork when she was sitting on his bed waiting patiently. Her long black hair was pulled back into a fine braid, and she had even went and put on some makeup. Her dark eyes were glittering with anger when he walked inside, obviously surprised to see her. Despite her anger, she did manage to dress herself in the slinkiest thing she could find, so she wasn't _so_ mad that she didn't want to possibly do some rather nasty things with him. Unfortunately, he really wasn't in the mood for her anger or her flirting. His month and a half separation from Celysel after spending so much time with her was beginning to take its toll. Before, when he hadn't seen her in four months, he just couldn't stop thinking about how badly he wanted her. Now, he wanted her as badly as he had those four months, some for the same reasons, some not. She was beautiful and graceful and kind, and he was beginning to care about her a great deal. She had opinions about this entire war that didn't involve a one-sided view for once. She felt that Alliance and Horde needed to work out their differences, and that this separation was doing more harm overall than good. Lorkan was halfway temped to introduce her to Thrall and Jaina Proudmoore. They all agreed on so many things, which was evidenced when Jaina came to Thrall for assistance and instead ended up as his mate. Since the Orcs respected Jaina, it was tolerated and besides that, she didn't show herself often until after dark and normally with Thrall. While Thrall would probably allow Celysel to stay in Origimmar, the other Orcs did _not_ know her, and since she had not earned respect, she would not be so welcomed. As soon as he thought that, he thought that again. Celysel…stay with him in Origimmar? He was getting a bit ahead of himself.

"Ya been _avoidin'_ me." A somewhat sultry voice said, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Ah yes, Sersi. He had forgotten about her for a moment. She was sitting on his bed still, the afternoon light giving her raven hair a nice glow to it. Despite her rather sexy appearance, she was seething mad, it was practically oozing off of her. He knew it was because she was angry with him for avoiding her all this time. Sersi was a woman who got what she wanted, and when she was postponed on getting it, it tended to make her a tad bit angry and unstable.

At this very moment, he would have _killed_ to have a strong shot of liquor. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with this, not with everything on his plate, and not with him missing his woman either.

"Avoidin' ya?" Lorkan asked, feigning innocence. Not even a child would have believed it. He grinned widely at the Herbalist, walking over to the other side of the room where he began to remove his boots and armor. If he had to listen to her noise, he could at least be comfortable while doing it. "I ain't avoidin' ya. Been busy."

She scoffed at his statement, obviously not believing him "Ya been too busy ta talk ta _me_?" she asked, as if not talking to her was like not breathing air. He turned his back to her as he began to remove the rest of his armor, trying to hide his irritation. Beautiful or not, Sersi sometimes had this uncanny ability to really tick him off. "Ya had wan'ed ta talk plenty 'fo ya left mon." he heard her stand up from his bed and walk over towards him. When he turned around to say something, she pressed her body against his, her arms going around his shoulders and she tilted her head to nibble on one of his ears. That _was_ a sensitive spot for him as Celysel happily discovered not too long after they became a couple. For some odd reason, the thought of another woman besides her doing that seemed…disgusting. Gently but firmly, Lorkan grabbed Sersi's arms and pulled her away from him. Her eyes widened in obvious surprise. Very few men have ever resisted her, at least, those who weren't mated anyway. Sersi put two and two together.

"Ya…" she took a step back, her eyes widening in disbelief "Ya be mated?" she asked, feeling that was the only logical explanation for him rejecting _her_ advances. Lorkan wondered if she ever thought that maybe, just _maybe_ there were some men who just weren't interested. Gauging her reaction that thought was probably doubtful. Celysel was not his mate, but they were together. Mates were the equilivent of humans getting married, only the term 'divorce' was rather foreign to them. While they did mess around looking for suitable mates, when they _did_ mate, they mated for life. It was not something to take lightly as he had seen the younger generations do. Sersi wasn't young, but she tried to believe she was so, and her thoughts reflected that. To her, as long as her mate had a high standing and power, love didn't matter. It was one of the reasons why she had chosen Lorkan, and Rohkan had expressed that he didn't want her _at all_, not as a lover, and especially not as a mate. Sersi had given up on Rohkan after a few threats to turn her into a boar and shifted to Lorkan, who wasn't into magic at all. He wasn't sure why he had even bothered with her, she was shallow and greedy, but at the time, her personality had nothing to do with what he had wanted to do to her. He had, unfortunately, gotten himself into this mess.

"Lorkan?" came a voice from his doorway.

And then the Gods came down from their clouds and decided to cut him some slack. He thanked them _all_. Standing at his doorway was none other than Kaniar, a fellow Hunter like himself. She was a tad tall for normal females, and her light green skin contrasted sharply with her dark shoulder length red hair. Her tusks were small and dainty, which belied her muscular body from her occupation. She was wearing some rather strong leather armor, her two axes at her side. Kaniar was a beautiful Troll, and if it wasn't for the fact that she had a strong…personality, she probably would have had several males try to be her mate. She was quite suitable. On top of that, Kaniar was Lorkan's best friend and adoptive sister, they had grown up together and shared many of the same interests. It was for that reason that for a long time, many thought Kaniar would become mates with Lorkan, but they found that notion disgusting, they were siblings after all. At least, that's what they thought, they didn't exactly relay that exact message to everyone else. It was advantageous, as it was about to help Lorkan get out of this rather messy situation for a few months.

"Ey luv." Lorkan said softly, fully pushing Sersi away this time. He walked over to Kaniar whose onyx eyes had been looking at the pair. The female Hunter looked up at Lorkan with a mischievous look on her face before she smiled, wrapping her arms around him. "Did ya miss me?"

They didn't even have to say anything to each other anymore. All Lorkan had to do was speak to her as if they were lovers, and she knew what to do. He bent down and gave his sister a quick peck on the lips, wrapping his arms around her waist. If Celysel had been here, she would have _slaughtered_ him before he would have been able to explain himself. Thankful that she wasn't here, he smiled warmly at Kaniar, playing the part. Perhaps in another world, Kaniar might have been the ideal woman for him, but Lorkan had always firmly thought that he and Kaniar were kindred spirits and he had never desired anything more with her than friendship. He was convinced though that she'd make some male very happy, or maybe even…

"Of course I missed ya." Kaniar said, snuggling up to him before looking at Sersi "Wutcha doin' 'ere Sersi?" the redhead wanted to know "Tryin' ta give my mate a hard time?"

Sersi's eyes grew as wide as saucers "…M…mate?" she asked, standing there with a shocked expression on her face. Given Kaniar's reputation, it was probably amazing that she even _thought_ about having a mate, even if that mate was Lorkan. Sersi simply shook her head, as if she didn't believe it. "_Kaniar_ is your mate?" she spat, as if the female hunter were completely beneath her, like a disgusting bug.

Lorkan's defenses went up. Sure, Kaniar was intimidating towards most males despite her beauty. Sure Kaniar could be a little ruthless and didn't tolerate weak males at _all_. But she was also a wonderful person, and when she cared for someone or something, she cared for it with all of her being. She had no real friends besides him and Redclaw, her raptor pet. She was excellent as a Hunter, better than most males. With Lorkan, they were unstoppable as a team. He wouldn't allow Sersi to insult his best friend like that. Growling softly at her, his arms tightened "Ya should git goin." Lorkan said darkly to Sersi. The Herbalist looked at Lorkan in disbelief for a moment, then her face twisted into a mask of hatred and envy. Lorkan was sure that it was more directed at Kaniar than himself. She was insulted that Kaniar had gotten to Lorkan before she could, and if Sersi had been a powerful foe, he may have told Kaniar to watch her back. The 'couple' watched as Sersi made a haughty exit, Kaniar snickering to herself before letting go of Lorkan, leaning back.

"I leave ya alone fer one day, and I'm havin' ta play ya girl." Kaniar said with a grin. He had already known he was going to get some heat from his sister, he had been prepared for it. "If ya jus' leave dose heffa's alone, I wouldn't hafeta watch ma back." She was joking, of course, but Lorkan felt a pang of guilt nonetheless. Kaniar didn't have a suitor problem, no one desired her because she was so rough. Lorkan, on the other hand, was the ideal male mate, plus he knew powerful people. Unfortunately, he _had_ indulged himself too much when he was younger, and now he was paying for it. But damn, women could get so _attached_ sometimes when all you wanted was some fun. They would know what they were getting into, but got attached anyway, looking surprised when he told him that he wasn't interested like that. Sometimes, he wished he had Kaniar's problem, even if he would rather see her happy and with a mate.

"Look, mon, Sersi been afta me fo' years." Lorkan protested "Indulge 'er _once_ an' she tink we be mates."

A delicate red eyebrow shot up as she looked at him, shifting her weight to one hip as she regarded him. "Who fault be dat mon?"

"Mine…" he growled at her, walking over and sitting on his bed, putting a frustrated hand through his hair. Gods he missed Celysel. He made a mental note to see her after this scouting mission was over. After that, maybe he'd try and look for a mate for Kaniar. He actually had an idea in his mind about who he could try to hook her up with, since she _did_ harbor feelings for him, but Kaniar was a tricky one, he needed to work his plans out carefully. To do that, he needed to be free from distractions. Speaking of distractions… "Ya come 'ere fo' sumting?" he finally asked, curious as to why Kaniar was even here. Like him, she was pretty busy so if she came here, it must be for something.

Her light expression dropped and suddenly she was all business as she straightened and crossed her arms. It was a natural stance she did, but many found it to be intimidating since she was so tall and could look menacing when she so desired. It had no effect on Lorkan. "I be goin' on de mission witchu." Kaniar said "I wanted ta come and tell ya, in case ya got any plans."

Lorkan shook his head "Naw, I ain't leadin, no plans fo' me. Rohkan gonna be leader, ya may wanna talk ta him." When Kaniar made a face that expressed her attitude on how she felt about his older brother leading, he laughed hardily "Wut? Dun like my bro? He be a good man y'know."

"He be a lecher, dat what he is." Kaniar said, obviously upset by this turn of news. "I ain't gonna talk ta him. _You_ do it."

Rohkan had taken in Kaniar when she was about thirteen years old. She had been living on her own for almost four years, and had managed pretty decently for a kid. No one had wanted to take the overly violent girl with the crimson colored hair and piercing onyx eyes. Rohkan wasn't around too much when Lorkan had been a kid but one day he just appeared and told Lorkan they were going walking. Rohkan had been a Shadow Hunter for a few years at that point and Lorkan, knowing nothing about Shadow Hunters besides the fact that they were scary, followed his brother hesitantly. It was then that they found Kaniar, out in the wild. She had just killed a boar with a long arrowhead that she had fashioned into a knife. Lorkan had been scared of the wild girl with the messy hair and dirty face but his older brother, always calm and grinning in the face of danger, walked over slowly to the girl, bending down to face her but still giving her enough distance to not be afraid. With a wide grin on his face he had asked her how she had acquired the talent to fashion a blade with an arrowhead. Apparently her father had been a Hunter, and he had taught the little girl everything he knew should something ever happen. When he had finally pacified the girl enough to where she approached him, all Rohkan did was pat her on the head and said 'Welcome to da family mon.' Later, when Lorkan was a bit older, the Shadow Hunter had explained that he had known Kaniar was going to be out there that day. He had been given a vision, and while he hadn't understood everything about it, he knew that somehow, Kaniar was going to be important to their family. When Lorkan looked back on it, he realized just how correct his brother was, and he was grateful to have such a friend and sister. Over the years, however, Kaniar had acquired a distinct dislike for Rohkan and his skirt chasing. Lorkan knew Kaniar enough to know that Kaniar was extremely jealous, but since she refused to admit to herself that she was more than likely in love with his brother, she turned that jealousy into disdain and she completely stopped speaking to him, much to his brother's confusion. Kaniar had the tendency to become unpredictable sometimes if you didn't know her well.

"Dat lecher," Lorkan began, grinning at his sister "Be one of de most powerful Trolls around mon, dat why he be da leada and not me. I dun question orders, jus' follow dem."

"I could take'im." Kaniar said, shrugging. _She_ obviously wasn't scared of Rohkan, but then again, she knew him better than the average person, and he'd never hurt her.

She left herself _wide_ open, so he took the shot. "Bet ya could." He muttered, smirking at her. "Bet he'd like it." Actually, Lorkan _knew_ his brother would like it. Rohkan had made it known more than once to him that he'd like _nothing more_ than to get with Kaniar in more ways than one. It was almost hilarious at how those two were pretty much completely oblivious to each other's feelings, but Lorkan knew how that could be. He had suffered the same thing with Celysel.

A sharpening stone bounced off of Lorkan's head and he cried out as pain shot through his skull. His hands immediately flew to the growing bump, surprised at the fact that he wasn't _bleeding_. "Wha.." he began after the pain faded a way and his vision became less hazy. Murderous thoughts formed in his head directed at her. "Wat da 'ell yo _problem_ mon!" he roared at her. She could be such a _bitch_ sometimes!

"Quit cryin!" she snapped, growling at him "Be glad dat's all I did! Say it one mo' 'gin an' I'll skin ya and hang ya ta dry!"

She was itching for a fight, Lorkan knew it. He touched a sore spot and now she wanted to fight. Fine. "Well, ya didn't have ta _throw shit_ at me!" his forehead was _throbbing_ and he wanted pain and suffering as retribution. Damn her violent moods to hell! "Do I e'er throw shit at _you_!" he wanted to know.

"I told ya ta quit cryin!" Kaniar snapped. She let Lorkan grumble for a while before sighing, walking over to him and sitting down, putting an arm around his shoulders. He gave her a look that told her he was extremely displeased with her, but he knew that she'd just shrug it off, which she did, and smirk at him, which she did. Her hand went over the now tender and throbbing bump and with gentle fingers, she brushed against it lightly, clucking her tongue when he winced at the contact. She leaned to the side away from him, as if trying to get a better look. "Sorry I hit ya." She said after a few minutes. Instead of forgiving her, he shot her a rather nasty glare, to which she laughed at. "C'mon bro, you can't stay mad at me foreva." When no answer was forthcoming she sighed and flopped back on his bed, looking up at his ceiling and pulling her arms behind her head, a thoughtful expression on her face. He didn't say anything to her, mostly because his head still hurt and as long as it did he was going to be upset with her. It really _had_ hurt, and he had been joking with her. She was violent sometimes but _damn._ Maybe she was more sensitive about the subject than he had previously believed.

"I can't stop tinkin' bout'im." Kaniar finally said after what seemed like hours of silence. He didn't say anything at first and the room became silent once again, the darkness now covering it in a seemingly warm blanket. Eventually he did look down at her, taking in her confused and troubled expression. She was being quiet serious about whatever she was talking about. He sighed. He had other times to be angry at her.

"Who?" he asked, biting the line she fed him. He already had a pretty good guess as to who it was, but playing dumb sometimes was a good thing. If he tried to act like he knew everything she wouldn't tell him any more, and so would be unable to help her.

"Rohkan." Her voice was almost a whisper.

He nodded, understanding. Before he and Celysel got together he couldn't stop thinking about her either, even though he didn't want to. Kaniar was afraid of certain emotions, love and affection were among two. Sure, she showed affection and love to him, but it wasn't the same. Love between a man and a woman was never the same as any other kind of love, so he understood that she was confused about her feelings, and because of that, she probably wasn't admitting anything to herself. He had done that as well, until he gave up on trying and got with Celysel. He felt that things were better now because of that. Kaniar knew of Celysel, and she was happy for him, even though his woman happened to be a Night Elf. Unlike a lot of other people, his sister didn't really discriminate between races. To her, the only two differences in people were that they were either male, or female. He felt the same way. So it was only natural for Kaniar to approve, despite the fact that she worried for his safety. Their relationship was dangerous due to the war, but she had offered her services should he ever have a need for them. Sometimes, he really did love his sister more than anything.

But now they were about to get into a topic that she didn't like discussing in length, and no matter what he would say, he knew there would be a small argument. So he sucked it up and decided to say it anyway "Kaniar…mebbe ya keep tinkin' bout'im coz…"

She didn't even let him finish "Don't." her voice was dark and he could hear her anger beginning to emerge from it. "I jus' wanted ta tell ya, I'm not lookin' fo' ya ta tell me _again_ dat I got feelin's fo' dat…"

"A'ight." He shrugged "Den I won't. Dun bring it up no mo." He wasn't going to let her bring up subjects and then bite his head off when he went with it. "I'll be 'ere when ya _need_ me." He decided to make that crystal clear. He'd help and be a brother, but only if she wanted it. If she didn't, then she didn't need to bring it up like she did.

She nodded "Ok, den. Sorry." She sat up and looked at him, smiling a bit "Tell me bout you and dat Celysel woman. Ya been keepin' contact?"

Lorkan shrugged "Hardly. It be hard tryin' ta find people ta take tings where I want dem ta go." He admitted. He hadn't really been able to send a letter to Celysel in a few weeks, but they were both under the understanding that it was probably going to be like this. Afterall, who in their right minds would want to write a letter to one that was on the other side of the playing field?

"I see. She got somebody she can trust?" Kaniar wanted to know.

He took that into consideration. Celysel had briefly written to him about a Dwarf Hunter who was a close friend of hers. This Dwarf knew about their relationship but he was trustworthy, and he had nothing to worry about. His name was Bari and he had been the one who had gotten the letter as far as he had. Obviously, Bari couldn't do it all the time, he had insisted that he needed a halfway marker, because he wasn't going to try his hand at Horde territory again. Lorkan had agreed with Celysel; someone who was willing to take such risks shouldn't be pressured to do any more. He did want to at least hear from Celysel again, so he nodded, deciding to let Kaniar help for once. "Yah. A Dwarf. He be da one who got de letter ta me. Why? Ya wanna help?" She nodded and he pulled her close to him in a loose hug "Thanks. How bout dis? I give ya da letta, you give it to da Dwarf halfway. Sound good?"

"Good ta me." Kaniar said, standing up and stretching. Out of the corner of her eye she looked over at Lorkan "Ima go now. Stop gettin' inta trouble wit da women." She warned playfully "I see ya tomorrow fo' da mission. Ya takin' Jork?" she asked, looking at him as she neared the door. "I wanna know if I need ta bring Redclaw."

"Nah." He answered. He didn't want his pet getting harmed in case something went wrong, even though Jork's sharp nose would do more good than harm "I leave 'im 'ere."

"A'ight. Take care." She moved his bead curtains out of the way to give herself a path before she stopped, turning her head towards him "Can I 'ave ma stone back?" she gave him a rather wide grin.

At first he stared at her as if she had grown a second head. When she continued to stare at him with that grin of hers he touched the bump on his head and growled when he winced. "'Ell naw ya can't have it. Git out! Git out!" he grabbed his boot from the side and threw it at her as she left his little home, laughing. "I hope Rohkan drives ya crazy." He muttered to himself.

Kaniar walked away from her brother's house, still a smile playing on her lips. Lorkan was so _easy_ to tease sometimes, she couldn't help but to try and rile him up. He was the same way with her, so she was also assuming that he was probably that way with his woman Celysel, and if she was any kind of Night Elf Kaniar was familiar with, it was probably driving her _insane_. In any case, the Hunter female was in a rather decent mood considering. Kaniar had grown up in a Hunter family, her mother had been a Hunter and her father had been a Hunter. She had no siblings to speak of, but her family had remained close and a tight unit, her parents loving each other and her immensely. She missed that life, when she had been out with her father learning the basics of hunting. Her father had always told her she was a natural, and that she'd be a fine hunter. She wanted to have the closeness with a man that her mother had with her father, but that was unlikely to happen. When her parents had died she had initially blamed herself. If she had been stronger, she might have been able to save them from their brutal fate. Instead, they had saved _her_ and in the process, gotten killed. On that day, Kaniar had sworn that she'd never _ever_ allow herself to be that weak again. She lived out in the wild as the animals did, using her basic skills to hunt and fend for herself. It had taken three long years before someone had cared enough to take her and make her a part of their family because of course, no one wanted a child they couldn't manage.

Except Rohkan.

He was young himself, being only ten years her senior. Despite that, he took her in, gave her food and shelter, and told her she had a family. Her life of living on her own and hardship was over from that day forward, and she could only thank the man she disliked for it. She had immediately bonded with Lorkan and they ended up growing up together, hunting together, being closer than actual brothers and sisters really were. Even though she had this new family, old habits were difficult for her to break. She could no longer stand weak people, especially men. She enjoyed the hunt far more than probably any male did and she was absolutely ruthless in battle. Because she had lived in solitude for so long she had come to enjoy it, and disliked being around too many people at once. She was untrusting and distant to anyone and everyone around her, as the wild had taught her. She was taller than the average female and a bit more muscular, even though it didn't detract from her beauty. She had grown her hair out a bit in a small attempt to look more feminine but because of the reputation she had gained for herself, most men found her unattractive as a mate. Not only that, most men were intimidated by the fact that she was _stronger_ than them, even some of the stronger warriors were wary of her. She was indeed no longer weak, but now she was so strong she drove men away.

Despite rumors, Kaniar did have desires. She had never been with another man sexually before, but that was because she wanted what her parents had. She wanted her potential mate to look at her with the love and adoration that her father had held for her mother. She wanted love and affection, not sex. She was pretty positive that sex was excellent, and she didn't really _have_ to wait for her mate. It was uncommon, but Kaniar wasn't a very common girl. She wanted more than the average Troll female, and she wanted more than what most males were willing to give. But she did desire companionship, and she _did_ desire a warm male by her bedside sometimes. She wanted to be touched, but she also wanted to be loved. She didn't see why those two had to be separate. Once, she had almost given herself to a male, but it had felt wrong, so she stopped it. She didn't regret her decision, but that only made her find for a suitable mate worse, as now not only was she vicious, but she was frigid and snobbish. He _had_ been a suitable male, he was strong and not bad looking, his tusks were healthy. It wasn't that he wasn't good enough, it was just that when she had kissed him, it wasn't him in her mind at all; it was someone else. Someone else who was strong and handsome and everything she wanted, someone else who she had looked up to and admired. She felt that it wasn't right, even if the male didn't want a relationship with her, it still wasn't right. And ever since that night, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about that male with light blue skin and devious grin. That grin that always seemed to be hiding something, as if he knew something no one else knew. A few nights ago she had a disturbing dream when he had come to her, his voice as deep as the night and his gaze so intense it was as if he were burning right into her soul. He came to her bed and kissed her, touched her, made her feel as if she were the only thing in his world. He had made love to her so thoroughly that she had woken up screaming in ecstasy, her body shaking in her bed, mind dazed. She had never had such a dream, and it disturbed her to no end. It wasn't even the dream itself that had bothered her, even though it had felt _so real_. It was the person _in_ the dream that had disturbed her.

Rohkan.

When she was a child, she had looked up to the Shadow Hunter. To her, he was her hero, even if she wasn't too keen on magic. When she became older and realized that he was a lecherous creature, her hero-worship immediately became scorn. She figured it was because she had looked at him as if he were like a father to her, and her father had only loved one woman. Lorkan had told her it was because she was jealous. That couldn't be true. She wasn't jealous; she _never_ got jealous, especially not over a male. She felt a bit betrayed by his sleeping around, as if he had crushed her view of him. She became distant towards him, something that she knew confused him, but he didn't try to question her motives. He never treated her any differently, only that when she became of age, he began to flirt with _her_ too, which disgusted her. Had he no shame? He had adopted her, they were practically blood.

Except they _weren't_ and she didn't feel the same connection of blood that she felt with Lorkan. Lorkan actually _felt_ like a brother to her, Rohkan felt like…something else. She couldn't put her finger on it, and the more she tried to think about it, the more frustrated and annoyed she became. This mission wasn't going to help things either. Now she had to be around him for days, possibly weeks, and she was sure she'd probably go insane and skin him alive if he tried hitting on her the way he did with other women. Lorkan had even picked up his bad habits for a time, but when he found Celysel, everything had been thankfully put to a screeching halt. Maybe she should try the same with Rohkan, maybe a woman would calm him down and tame him. No, she didn't like that idea afterall. In fact, she didn't really like the prospect of him being with _any_ woman.

_Cept you right?_

_What? No! Of course not!_ But even as she thought those words, her heart sped up and she began to feel warm. Ever since that dream it had been getting worse, and she knew desire when she felt it. She did _desire_ Rohkan, but so did a lot of other women, it meant nothing. She would at least admit to herself that she did desire for that dream to become a reality, but it was lust, that was all. She had felt desire for men before, and she had not acted upon it. She was stronger than that.

_But it's just gonna be you, Lorkan, an' Rohkan and Lorkan _knows_ how ya been feelin' lately. Ya dun tink he not gonna put ya two together fo payback? He'd do it, he'd leave ya wit Rohkan fo' days, and you'd go insane._

She would. She didn't love him, she had no real emotional attachments to him, but she was a Troll, and by nature they were sexual creatures. All he would have to do is catch her vulnerable and she'd probably be his. She was strong, but Rohkan…was Rohkan. If he _really_ wanted to, he'd be able to easily seduce her. She'd probably hate him for it after, but definitely not during if the rumors about his bed skills were true. She groaned aloud. These thoughts were becoming _so_ annoying.

"Sumting wrong?" asked a calm, deep voice. She knew that voice. Her eyes quickly darted around her area. It was dark, everyone was in their homes or at the tavern, enjoying themselves. She had walked too far away from Lorkan's place to get him out for conversation, and her own place was too far to pretend that she hadn't heard and just walk inside and away. This always happened to her. Whenever she'd be alone and thinking about him, he'd just _appear_ out of fucking no where, and it seriously irritated her to no end. In fact, she was seriously pissed off right now, and she wasn't in the mood for this.

_Jus' go away Rohkan…_

"I'm jus' on my way home." Kaniar said without turning to look at him. She knew he had walked over towards her, she could feel the heat of his body as he stood behind her, with that _annoying_ grin on his lips that was always there, as if he knew something about her that he wasn't going to tell. She wanted to choke him. She wanted him to go away. She wanted to kiss him until he could think of nothing but her.

When had she become so weak?

His hand touched her shoulder and she jumped away from him as if he had burned her. His eyes widened in surprise when she stared at him with a wild glare, he looked genuinely confused. His arm dropped back to his side and he took a small but non-threatening step towards her, his eyes showing concern. "Wut be wrong Kan?" he asked her softly, stopping his next step when she stiffened as if about to run. Now he really looked confused. "Did I scare ya?"

"Of course not!" she snapped, suddenly defensive "I ain't scared of _you_,"

This remark earned her a chuckle as Rohkan shrugged "I be seein' dat mon. Why jumpy den, if ya ain't scared?"

"_Nothing_." She hissed at him, making him again take a step back in surprise. His features clearly showed that he had _no_ clue what he had done to set her off, and while a part of her felt a bit guilty for being so rude to a man who had done everything for her, she couldn't help herself. "I jus' gettin' home, and _no_," she continued to add "I dun need no walk home." When he didn't say any more, she spun on her heel and walked off stiffly, willing her heart to stop. Why was she acting like this? He had _never_ done anything to her to make her want to be that way. He had taken her in, given her a family to call her own, made sure she always had everything she ever needed, and she was repaying him by being cruel because he liked to do what every male Troll liked to do.

_It's cuz ya be afraid_. Her inner voice told her _You be afraid of wut he can do to ya._

Her hand clutched her chest where her heart was. No, she wasn't afraid of him, she wasn't afraid of anything. It didn't make any sense. He couldn't do _anything_ to her, no, he wouldn't do anything to her. Despite her attitude towards him, he still cared for her, he'd never hurt her, so there was no reason to be afraid.

_Not all pain be physical. It already hurt dun it?_

It did. She wasn't sure what it was that hurt, but it did.


	6. Chapter 6

Love Has Its Reasons

Chapter 6

By: Catriana

While neither Hunters had opted to take any of their pets, they did take their steeds, large, powerful red Raptors with short temperament and a craving for bloody meat. Thunder Bluff was quite the distance from Origimmar, so speed and stealth was what they needed. They had packed well the night before, not planning on going into town for provisions. Food wasn't needed, they could hunt for their own, but Kaniar insisted on having sharpening stones and throwing knives. When Lorkan had argued with her that they were on a scouting mission and they'd probably _leave_ before things got too heated, she merely pointed out that a Hunter who was not cautious soon became the hunted. Figuring she had a point, he brought some knives himself.

The trip, in Lorkan's opinion, had been a bit uneventful. He had expected some words to be exchanged from Kaniar and Rohkan that would keep him amused but the two spoke not a word to each other the entire time. Rohkan seemed a bit deep in thought about something, his gaze darting back between the open road and Kaniar.

_She musta freaked on'im again._ Lorkan thought, a bit disappointed. Rohkan always went into a funk when she did that, mostly because he would never understand what it was he had done to make her so angry. This morning, before they were about to leave, Rohkan had come to visit him, his usual cheerful smile was on his face, but Lorkan had noticed it didn't reach his eyes.

_"Does Kaniar hate me bro?" Rohkan asked as he walked into his brother's little home, his traveling bag slung over his shoulder. He didn't look upset, but then again, Rohkan was pretty good at not always showing what he really felt._

_Lorkan had just finished packing and was double checking his gun to make sure everything was working properly. He was also taking his axe just in case he had to encounter close combat. He looked up at his older brother and sighed. He was going to ask if something had happened, but he figured he probably wouldn't like the answer. "Naw mon…" he began "She dun hate ya. Ya adopted'er 'member?"_

_"Dat don't always mean nothin'." The Shadow Hunter said quietly "She always be mad, when I talk ta'er."_

_This wasn't Lorkan's business. Kaniar had to tell him on her own that she was insanely jealous and that was why she was being so cold to him. Unfortunately, she wasn't admitting anything to herself, so her chances of admitting it to him were slim to none. "Bro, I dun be claimin' ta understand Kan, she dun tell me nuthin."_

_That wasn't convincing enough, both of them knew. Instead of becoming upset Rohkan walked over and sat down on his brother's bed. Despite appearances, this situation was really stressing him out, and as badly as Lorkan wanted to tell his brother the truth, Kaniar would one, never forgive him and two, wouldn't admit to her feelings anyway. For a long time they didn't speak, it seemed Rohkan was trying to get his thoughts together._

_"Bro." came the Shadow Hunter "I tink Kaniar be da one but it look like she hate me. I be hearin' rumors dat she tink I be disgusting coz I got de women all o'er me."_

_Lorkan shrugged "Well, you _do_ be havin' a lot of women…"_

_"Bro." he interrupted "If Kaniar came to me _right now_ an' tol' me she'd be my mate, dem girls be gon' fo breakfast. _Dat_ how bad I got it fo'er."_

_Lorkan could only stare at his brother with a shocked expression on his face. Rohkan had been chasing skirts for _years_ and not once had he ever expressed being tired of it. Oh there had been some females that he had gone steady with for a while, but it had never been anything too serious. Rohkan was a joker, everyone knew that, but those words…he wouldn't joke around about something like that, nor had he ever said those words, _ever_. This must have taken some serious thought on Rohkan's part to come to this conclusion, meaning that he had probably been feeling this way for a few years. No wonder he had been flirting with her mercilessly for the past few years, he had been trying to get Kaniar's attention! Unfortunately, she had taken it the wrong way, and instead of feeling that he wanted just her attention, she felt that he was trying to treat her like all the other women, when that hadn't been the case at all. Fully understanding, Lorkan now felt sympathy for his brother. It must be hard for him to feel so strongly about someone when he felt like she hated him. Having someone you loved hate you was probably the worse feeling in the world. Lorkan hoped he never had to experience that._

_"She dun hate ya mon." Lorkan said finally, gaining a hard stare from Rohkan. Mental note, now was not the time to play mind games with someone who could turn you into horrible things._

_"How you know?" his brother wanted to know._

_"Trust me bro, she dun."_

After that they chatted a bit more about nothing and Rohkan left. He hadn't said much else since. It was unusual for the Shadow Hunter to not be so upbeat, but then again, they weren't in public either, Rohkan had no reason to be anything but himself. Kaniar seemed oblivious to the entire situation, probably happy that Rohkan wasn't all over her and trying to have idle chit chat. It was then that Lorkan decided that it was high time to get those two started on something that should have been done years ago.

As the afternoon sun died down and evening began to approach, Rohkan looked around, guiding the beast he was riding to a slow trot. By now they were about two miles outside of Thunderbluff and all three of them agreed, this area would be perfect for scouting out the raiders. Rohkan decided that they would camp out two miles west, where they could probably find some shelter that wasn't infested with creatures. They didn't want to take their beasts with them so they 'un-summoned' them so to speak. Animals were summoned to you by magic, you could summon them back to where they came from, which made travel convenient. Rohkan was able to guide them to a rather large canyon, pointing out that there were crevices large enough to house them for the night and protect them from the elements. With little effort, the three were able to get themselves and their supplies to where their leader had found a spot for them and settled down for camp. Instead of bringing tons of food, they brought dried meats, they didn't cook as they didn't want their smoke giving them away. After an hour, Kaniar was sent out to find the general location of the raiders. Since she was the smallest and sleekest of the three, she was the ideal candidate. She also had excellent stealth capabilities, almost rivaling a Rogue's. Neither male was worried about her getting caught.

With the red head gone, Lorkan decided it was high time to have a heart to heart with his older brother. Before, he really hadn't wanted to get involved, but he also wanted to see his family happy, and he knew Kaniar and Rohkan would be happy together. The only problem was getting Kaniar to look past Rohkan's playboy nature, and _that_ was going to be _really_ difficult. Steeling himself, Lorkan prepared for yet another confrontation with another person. These confrontations were beginning to get a tad bit old.

_Suck it up mon._ "Bro," he began "I wanna talk ta ya bout Kan. Ya love'er?" Lorkan watched Rohkan shift to better adjust himself where he was kneeling. He had been unpacking more camping supplies, his back turned towards his younger brother. Rohkan didn't answer for a long while, so long that Lorkan almost thought he wasn't going to answer. Darkness had already descended thirty minutes ago and Kaniar had been gone for almost two hours. In the distance he could hear the wolves calling out into the night, and the quiet squawking of vultures as they settled down for the night. Kaniar should be back soon with a report on what was going on, he wanted to get this conversation before that, but if Rohkan didn't want to talk…

"Yeh." He finally said, and Lorkan, who had almost forgotten his question, gave his brother a confused look before nodding. Right. So he was in love with her. It was logical, since he did want to make her his mate. Lorkan had almost forgotten that his brother was much older than him, and so had a lot of the old beliefs concerning mating. He wouldn't want to mate with Kaniar if he didn't love her. "She hate me though." Sighing, he turned and leaned back against the rock wall of the crevice letting his forearms rest on his raised knees, his head laying back against the wall. "Been a year now, when I knew."

"So den, why you be messin wit' all dose females?" Lorkan asked. If Rohkan wanted Kaniar as a mate, surely he understood her feelings about that concept. Lorkan knew Kaniar's dream had been to have a mate only dedicated to her, Rohkan's constant flirting and shifting attentions were the exact opposite and therefore made him unappealing in her eyes. _But den, he had always been too busy ta chill wit us like he shoulda. He dun git'er like I do._

There was a slight shrug of Rohkan's powerful shoulders and his dark gaze fixed on his younger brother "If she dun like me, why not? Pining an' all mebbe good fo' ya, but me…I dun like dat stuff." As if a sudden thought popped into his head Rohkan found himself grinning widely, as if he had just shared a joke with himself. "Be too bad if she found another, no man be able to treat'er like I could." When Lorkan gave his brother a look, the Shadow Hunter laughed "No lie mon! When I first started gettin' wit da women, dey always like" his voice rose a few octaves to imitate a woman's voice "'Rohkan, you so wonderful, but kinda rough'. I found myself havin' ta hold back, it ain't dat much fun y'know. But Kan, man I can just see it. No man'd be able ta handle'er, jus' like most women can handle me." But there was something more that than what Rohkan was letting on. There was a strange gleam in his eyes, and Lorkan knew that look to be similar to when he had _already_ done something, and was speaking from experience. He didn't _speak_ about it like he had already had sex with her, but somehow, there was a finality to his voice when he spoke about Kaniar's bed skills. Lorkan secretly hoped his brother hadn't done anything stupid concerning magic. The fact that Lorkan knew he could do something devious was all he needed to be concerned.

He tried to play it off "Dere ya go again, talkin' bout sex. Ya got it on da brain mon. Kaniar ain't like dose other females mon, she got better standards." It was a warning as well as a hint to Rohkan. If he wanted Kaniar, he couldn't just think a certain way.

Thankfully, Lorkan didn't have much to fear in that department.

"I know." Rohkan admitted, putting a hand through his hair in thoughtful frustration. His brows were furrowed and he looked a mix between confused and irritated "I love'er for mo dan dat mon." he opened his mouth as if he were going to say more, thought better of it, and closed his mouth, stretching his legs out "But wut be da use? She ain't interested." He sounded so _forlorn_ about it, as if he had lost something deeply precious to him. Again, Lorkan sympathized with him. He didn't want his brother to be so lovesick, but there was only so much he could say without putting Kaniar in a confrontation with Rohkan, which would only end up in bloodshed. When Kaniar was backed into a corner, she sometimes acted like a wild animal and more than once someone had gotten seriously injured for it. Forcing Kaniar to do something she didn't want to do was stupid and dangerous.

There was a shift of noise above them, both brothers reaching for their respective weapons in alarm. When they saw green legs dangle from the entrance they visibly relaxed, realizing it was just Kaniar returning. A bit disappointed that Lorkan was unable to speak to his brother a bit further about his problem, he plastered a grin on his face as his adoptive sister dropped down into the space with them, his smile dropping when he saw the look on her face and her clothing.

Kaniar's leather armor was lightly splattered with blood and she looked _murderous_. Her dark eyes swept over both men, and if Lorkan didn't know any better, he would have sworn her ears looked a bit redder than usual. She was huffing, but they could tell it was for dramatic purposes, she was feigning irritation. That made them relax a bit more, although Lorkan was a bit curious about the blood on her outfit. She walked into the cavern straight towards the supplies, kneeling down and digging through the bag. The two brothers looked at each other and then back at Kaniar. She hadn't said hello, given a report, explained the blood, nothing. For the most part, she looked uninjured, but it was dark, it was a new moon and despite their excellent eye sight, there was only so much one could see in the dark unless they were a Night Elf. She wasn't limping or catering to any specific limbs, she looked perfectly fine. It seemed like an eternity as she finally found what she was looking for, a sharpening stone, and pocketing the small stone, she stood up, turned towards them and _glared._ She looked so angry they both fidgeted. What the hell was her problem now?

"Which one of you was it?" she asked cryptically, making both men look at her as if she had grown a second head. What was she talking about? Crossing her arms, her eyes narrowed "Or was it both of you?"

Rohkan raised an arm, tilting to the side a bit to get a better look at her. "Yo, mind tellin' us wut dis be all about? And, could I git a report sumtime _tonight?_" he said it as lightly as Lorkan thought was necessary. Obviously someone was tripping, and it wasn't them. "Coz, we been waitin' a long time mon." Rohkan, not one to be bested, stood up and stretched, looking down at her with a grin. Lorkan almost groaned. His brother was now challenging Kaniar, great. He watched as Kaniar raised her head to get a good look at Rohkan, scowling. Her earlier stance had been light and they knew she had been joking, but when Rohkan stood up her entire body tensed, even her hands had turned into tight fists.

"Ten in all." Kaniar spat at Rohkan "Five warriors, two mages, one rogue, two hunters. All human. Anyting else mon?" her voice was practically dripping with venom. "An' actually, I was jus comin' ta joke around witcha. My ears had been _burnin'_ de entire time I was lookin'. Thought ya was talkin' bout me and I was gonna tease ya. Not in da mood no mo." she turned away from him and walked over to the other side of the wall were Lorkan was at and flopped down, digging out her dried meat to eat. "Dey be not but three mile north east from 'ere. We leave fo' dawn, we get there in good time."

"Okay, work fo me." Lorkan said before Rohkan could comment. Despite the smirk on his brother's face, he knew Rohkan was steaming mad. He had probably been worried when she had walked in with blood on her and no explanation. "But, wut wit da blood mon? We been kinda worried coz of it."

The look on Kaniar's face showed that she had no idea of what he was talking about "Blood?" she looked at her outfit with slight confusion for a full minute before she gasped as if she had an epiphany. "Ooooh! Got into a fight wit an beast. Must be from dat."

Lorkan felt better. He was grateful that she hadn't gotten injured or worse, caught spying on the enemy. Now he felt like teasing. Giving her a rather sly smile he leaned toward her, putting an arm around her shoulder "Gettin' careless Kan?" he asked her "Gettin' blood on ya while killin' a beast be beneath yo skills."

She shrugged "It been one of da Hunter's pet. Didn't e'en 'ere it, so must be well trained. Dun worry, it was a clean kill. Dey didn't know. No hunter can track me."

Silence descened upon the group. One of the Human's pet had caught her? While Lorkan believed that she did indeed cover her tracks well, that meant that they'd have to be cautious. The dead animal would put the humans on alert, but if it was _that_ well trained that it was able to catch up and cause a problem for Kaniar, that meant that these humans were more skilled than originally given credit for. None of the hunters liked this, because now it meant that their mission may be a little bit more difficult than they had wanted it to be. Lorkan hated it when scouting turned wrong.

"Dis don't bode well..." Rohkan said, frowning. As the leader of the group everyone's lives rested on his shoulders. Kaniar had done nothing wrong, she was one of their best hunters. If what she said was true, their enemies were powerful, maybe so than those under him. Because there were ten of them, the chances of him being able to take them down on his own were slim to none, Lorkan knew that much. So Rohkan had a decision to make: take his group out there, knowing that the Humans would be on the lookout. If he did that, he'd risk them getting attacked and possibly getting killed. A dead scout was an unsuccessful scout, they couldn't tell their boss anything when dead. He also disliked close combat and preferred to fight from a distance.

There was a long pregnant silence as Rohkan mulled over his options. After a few minutes the blue Shadow Hunter sighed, leaning back once again on the dusty rock wall. "We go, but stay low." He finally said "We dun go back broke, we dun go back dead." His voice had finality to it "Got dat?" when both of his charges nodded he seemed to relax a bit more, his features which had been unusually hard and stoic regained their usual cheer. Rohkan wasn't accustomed to losing people, and he didn't want to lose the two people closet to him at all. He'd make sure nothing happened to either of them.

"Let's git some sleep."

They awoke before dawn and quickly packed away everything they had used for last night's camp. Since Thrall had only wanted the bare basics on what the Raiders were doing and who they were, the mission was expected to take an average of two to three days, depending on what they could find. With three of them, there was a possibility of those numbers cutting down, simply because of the strategic advantage they'd have and the ability to pick up on things from numerous directions.

The plan was for the three of them to split up and surround the camp from a decent distance. Unfortunately there was a serious lack of cover from the absence of trees, so they'd only be able to get but so close to the group without getting caught. Fortunately for them, Humans had atrocious eye sight compared to…just about every race in existence. They wouldn't have to go _too_ far as they would if the group were Night Elves or Dwarves. Their camp, as Kaniar had explained it, was nested between a rather large canyon, with only one entrance and one exit unless one climbed. Above the canyon were large rock formations that seemed to jut out of the earth in numerous spots. It could provide limited cover should someone detect them. The individual rock formations were at an average of ten to twenty feet, their widths from fifteen to thirty feet. Fifty feet to the north of the rock formations was a rather large cliff that could give the group an excellent view of the camp without having to get too close. The female Hunter had assumed that the raiders had chosen that particular location because it was so well hidden. The back end of the cavern was extremely high, about a high as the larger cliff structure, so the Humans would not be able to see anyone from there, even if they did, they were completely out of range, and it would be but a simple matter to retreat. From the back of the cavern the other side sloped down, making that side about fifty feet in height. That side was more dangerous as it would be easier to be spotted. Rohkan had insisted that he take that side, giving the back of the cavern to Lorkan and the cliff side to Kaniar. Even with the advantage they had, if the Human Hunters were on the lookout, that would make it dangerous. A good Hunter surrounded by Mages, Warriors, and Rogues especially was a lethal Hunter. They could track and notice things the others could not, and guide them in the right direction.

It took them about forty five minutes to an hour to get themselves there and situated in their places. There was no real way to give the signal that they were in position that wouldn't reveal themselves, so instead they just trusted the fact that they were good at their occupation and would get to where they needed to be. The distance between the three of them was over a few hundred feet at the least, so while they could see each other, they would have to strain their eyes to get a solid glance. All three of them did a sweep of the area for visible traps, thankfully finding none. Rohkan had informed them that they would look over the camp for two hours, or unless they found something significant that needed to be taken back to Thrall immediately. At this point dawn was rapidly approaching and none of the Humans had come out from their camp.

Kaniar was becoming more alert and wary. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck begin to rise as she lay on her stomach near the head of the cliff, looking down at the inactive camp. Something was telling her that it wasn't right down there, that something was terribly wrong. Light was almost afoot and no one had stepped out of their collective tents. Only one of the Hunter's animals was visible, the large boar was laying down dozing, its tail swaying lightly back and forth to keep the flies at bay. When the sun had fully emerged and the first human came out from one of the tents, Kaniar let out a mental sigh of relief. Had the Human Rogue waited any longer, Kaniar would have felt as if they had walked into an ambush. Scooting a bit further on her belly she looked over and squinted, observing. The Human Rouge who had emerged from her tent didn't look very impressive. She had long, shoulder length black hair that was not bound. She was dressed in mostly black with what looked like to be a red scarf over her face. She was walking around the camp looking around suspiciously; Kaniar was assuming for her other teammates. Surprisingly, and with no small skill, the Rogue walked over to one of the supply chests and bent over. Within seconds the lock was open and the Rogue was soon stuffing various objects into a bag Kaniar hadn't seen before. So, the Rogue was robbing the others slowly, it made sense. Before the Rogue could stand Kaniar heard the audible click of a gun and she saw the barrel peeking outside of the tent, aimed at the female's head. Slowly, the Human woman stood, her arms raised in a non threatening gesture. One of the Hunters, a tall male with blonde hair rather impressive leather armor walked out, his gun at the ready. Kaniar couldn't see too many details, but it was obvious that the Hunter was upset.

Humans spoke in a language that she didn't quite understand. It was referred to as Common, and she could only speak words and broken sentences of supposed 'common' language. Kaniar had always thought it was rather complex language, and found Common to be an oxymoron. They seemed to be in a heated argument, in which the female ended up removing all of the items she had attempted to steal and replace them back in the lock.

And then the Hunter shot her at point blank range.

Shouts and curses emerged from the remaining tents as the Humans, in a panic, rushed out, wands, daggers, and swords ready for blood. Kaniar counted all of the Warriors, and one of the Mages. She watched as the Humans began to argue amongst themselves, but she could not understand any of what they were saying. The male Hunter seemed to be overly excited, he was constantly pointing at the now dead Rogue seemingly uncaring as the pool of blood from around her head spread to envelope the soles of his shoes. The Mage was a male, somewhat short and stocky. He was pointing a green glowing wand in the Hunter's face, his face as red as his hair as he screamed back. Kaniar assumed that this reaction was because the Rogue had meant something to the Mage, that was the only real logical explanation. The Warriors, three males and one female, looked bored with the entire situation. All three of them had brown hair and were dressed similarly, the only difference being in their weapons. The female carried with her two long swords, almost like katanas. Two of the males were carrying large broadswords with a smaller sword to their side, the last male carried a rather large battle ax. They watched the Hunter and Mage fight for a bit longer, and then one by one they retreated to their tent, obviously bored. It took a while longer for the two males to calm themselves down and for a moment it looked as if they were about to fight. Instead the Mage calmed himself and turned his back on the Hunter, moving to look over the female Rogue. Kaniar found none of this interesting, except she noticed that the party was missing two people. It was illogical to believe that anyone within hearing range could not have reacted to that gunhot, meaning one of two things. One, that the Rogue was not the only person he had killed since last night, or two, they weren't there. If they weren't there, then where the hell were they?

_Move_.

Kaniar blinked as the hairs on the back of her neck jolted up in alarm and she rolled her body to the side, missing the arrow that was aimed for her back. White hot pain lanced through her shoulder but she resisted the urge to cry out, instead, jumping up, her dark eyes alert. Already she was reaching for the arrow to snatch it out from her shoulder, grunting when she gave it a hard yank to free it. She was already moving, her knees bent her eyes wild, rage searing up from her gut and to her chest. _How_ had they been able to find her? She had left no traces, was magic at hand here? She growled, risking a glance at the arrowhead. Poison. Wonderful. Already she was beginning to feel the effects, for it was becoming harder to see and her legs felt wobbly. Damn, damn damn! How had she gotten herself into this mess? She was better than this, there was no way they could have spotted her unless…

_Da Mage._ She thought, taking small note of the fact that her left arm was not useless. _Dunno how she did it, but dey were waitin' fo me._ She heard a footstep behind her and she turned around, spotting nothing. Her eyes widened in surprise. Were her eyes failing her that badly? It would take a good five minutes at the least for her to feel any real damage from the poison she was estimating, so her vision couldn't be that bad.

"You killed my Sasha you harlot!" the woman spat in harsh Troll and before Kaniar could turn to face the woman, she felt a sharp kick to the head, sending her flying a good two feet before she landed with a harsh thud on the ground, a grunt escaping from her lips. The first thought that came to Kaniar's mind was how had the Human been able to even kick that high, the second thought was how in _hell_ did this Human sneak up on her. Weren't only Rogues able to walk around stealthily? She knew of no magic like this.

Her vision blurring, her arm and now her head in extreme pain, Kaniar managed to sit up, her eyes narrowing. The Hunter female suddenly emerged as if out of thin air. Her hair was long and brown, tied back into a thick braid. Her only weapon seemed to be the bow and arrow, meaning that she had thought Kaniar would be a pushover. The Troll almost smiled, how wrong this _Human_ was.

"When I found my Sasha dead, I knew it was a Hunter who did it, the wounds were too clean." the Human snarled, walking slowly towards Kaniar. Her stance was completely relaxed, completely convinced that the poison and the wounds were enough to keep her Troll counterpart passive. Kaniar wasn't immune to poison, but she had trained her body to become resistant to it. Where a normal person would have fallen, she was merely dizzy and unable to see clearly. Continuing to squint, Kaniar managed to raise her head enough to glare defiantly at her assailant, stringing her along. She had managed to catch Kaniar off guard, but that didn't make the Human a better Hunter. The Human knelt down, smirking at her "I'm going to enjoy taking my time in killing you _Troll_." She spat out the last part as if it were the most distasteful thing she had ever come across.

Kaniar, was quite done with this crap. Unlike the female in front of her, she was quick in her strikes. With the flick of the wrist, a blade appeared in Kaniar's good hand. She launched herself forward, startling her counterpart and thrust the blade deep into the woman's throat, cutting off all noises and preventing her from screaming. There was some gurgling noises as her throat filled with blood and began to choke her. The Human fell back, her hands shaking uncontrollably as she tried to go for the knife embedded hilt deep into her, but she did not even manage to touch it, her body soon giving out and going limp. She was dead.

Wincing as her body protested movement, Kaniar stood up and walked over to the fallen Hunter. "Ya know mon…" Kaniar said, bending over and snatching the knife from her enemy's throat "Ya dun gloat befo' ya kill. Ya kill and den gloat." As she said this she wiped the blood from the blade onto the Human's vest. Sliding the blade into its hidden sheath she also began to relieve the Human of her burdens, namely her money and supplies.

As she finished, she felt the hairs on her neck once again stand on edge and something that she hadn't sensed before flared up, consuming her. There was another here, the Mage probably, and somehow, she did not detect it. It wasn't like stealth mode, Kaniar could somewhat see that and sense the danger, it was one minute not there, the next minute danger. It didn't make sense. It could have been teleportation but she didn't know it could be so random. In fact, she knew that magic had not evolved to the point where people could teleport anywhere they wanted when they wanted, there would be no need for travel if that were the case. Kaniar didn't get it, how were these people just appearing?

Unfortunately, she was not given much time to think about it. She readied her ax to strike, and as she turned, she was shocked and surprised to find the female Mage standing two steps away from her. To add on to Kaniar's dilemma, lightening was sparking in her hands. There was no time to even think as the spell was unleashed and white hot pain lanced from her head to her toes. She couldn't see, she couldn't scream, all she felt was pain upon pain as the spell worked its way through her body, the streams of lightening licking at her skin with sickening pleasure. The force of the attack flew her backwards ten feet before she landed with a harsh thud, her body still spasming from the aftershocks. It felt like an eternity before she was able to fully sit up, her eyes were open but everything was so dim she knew that she was quickly beginning to lose her sight. Her hearing was completely shot to hell, and her legs felt like rubber. Great. She was slowly beginning to think that she was indeed getting lazy in her skills, and she was making excuses for herself like people appearing from thin air. There was no way she should have been beaten this badly from two female _Humans_.

The human grabbed her neck and electricity shot through her body once again. Her eyes widened but she could barely see the woman in front of her. She willed her body to move but it denied her wishes. The pain was unbearable, never ending in its pursuit to harm her, to kill her. Indeed, she felt her body growing weaker, number to the lances of pain. Her vision was almost gone, she wasn't even sure if she was screaming or not. Her internal organs revolted against her, blood filling her throat and forcing its way into her mouth, where it burst forward in an agonizing cough.

And then she stopped thinking.

The blood triggered something primal within Kaniar, all logical thought flying out the door as her animalistic side kicked in. The Hunter had grown up in the wild with the animals, she had adapted some of their behaviors. Lorkan had once told her that when people backed her up into a corner, she often acted like a scared jungle cat, striking and lashing out on whoever came near her in fear and fury. Kaniar had never really taken notice of it, because it was something that had been ingraved into her brain, but as her vision went from blurry to crimson and a bubbling heat began to rise into her chest, something deep inside of her knew that Lorkan had been absolutely correct.

Kaniar's hand immediately went to her blade, and with a strength she didn't know she had, she grabbed the blade and shoved it deep inside her attacker's side, twisting. The grip on her neck disappeared, but _she_ wasn't dead, and Kaniar wanted to make sure her attacker saw the worms by noon. She removed the knife and then stabbed again rapidly in the same general area, causing the human to stagger back in alarm and pain. Kaniar wasn't finished, she somehow launched herself up and onto the Mage, knocking them both over. With a vicious snarl Kaniar continued to stab the woman below her, her mind blocking out everything except that she had to kill, and she'd keep stabbing until the woman no longer breathed. Kaniar stabbed the woman's chest so many times she had lost count, and it wasn't until the hilt kissed the Mage's forehead that she stopped moving, and Kaniar stopped stabbing. Her breathing heavy and labored, Kaniar scrambled off of her attacker and away a few feet on all fours, snarling and growling, waiting, no _daring_ the Human to get up again to attack. When no attack was forthcoming the Troll stood up, wobbly on her feet, and lifted her nose to the air, sniffing.

No danger. All good.

The red haze that was washing over her mind in waves began to subside, leaving Kaniar weak, poisoned and nearly blind. She had only one thought in her mind at this moment.

_Rohkan gonna be pissed._

And then everything went black.


	7. Chapter 7

Love Has Its Reasons

Chapter 7

By: Catriana

"Mommy!"

Teldrassil was beautiful at this time of year. Warm weather descended from the heavens, bringing with it beautiful flowers, even more lush vegetation, and romance. Indeed, spring was the time of love, and the Night Elves embraced this time as the _Mating Season_. While they could find mates anytime of the year, it was the warmer seasons that where couples began to flourish in earnest, and it was also the time of year when children underwent tests of skill and knowledge to prove that they were ready to be considered adolescents. It was always a time for new beginnings, and Celysel felt she was the luckiest of them all.

For the most part, she was happy. Her father now had a noble position and was trying to make a difference in their world and for the war. Although this increased the amount of potential suitors knocking at her door, she was quite content with what she had. Lorkan. Despite the fact that he was a Troll she had enjoyed her time with him, and their relationship had blossomed into something more tangible than before. In the month and a half that they spent together in Ashenvale, she had told him practically her entire history. There was very little he did not know about her and she did not mind that. In return, he had practically treated her as if she were the most precious thing in the world to him, and perhaps she was. In either case, despite their now wide distance, she found herself still walking on a cushion of air, a smile constant on her full lips. She had also been caught daydreaming more than once at a conference meeting, to which she had been scolded by her father a little more than she had wanted to admit. She hated it when he had to scold her, she knew it pained him to do it.

"Mommy, pay attention to me!"

Celysel was sitting peacefully on a bench near a clearing where many Night Elven children played. There were three groups playing at the moment, mostly playing tag around trees and bushes. The Druid knew quite a few of the children and their parents, and she watched them play in mild fascination. During her training as a Druid she had helped some of these children's mothers when they were having complications in birthing. Because Night Elves had been immortal at one time, children were a rarity and Celysel had always assumed this was Nature's way of evening out the population. When some women did get pregnant, the mother had to be watched closely for complications, as the chances of a child becoming a successful living being after nine months of nurturing were slim. When their immortality was stripped away from them, births became a bit more common, but the complications did not decrease. There were times when the child, or even the mother, would die.

"_Mommy_. Pay attention to _me_!"

And then there were cute little boys like Anhilir. The six year old little Elfling's father had died in battle during the hours of his birth. Anlynia, Anhilir's mother, had not taken the news so well and almost died. Celysel had spent so many hours with Anlynia, trying to keep her calm and strong enough to deliver little Anhilir. He was born quite healthy, but the mother went into a serious depression. She refused to eat or care for her son. Celysel had ended up becoming a part time mother to the little boy. She took the baby into her home and raised him as her own for the first four years, allowing Anlynia to mourn the loss of her valiant husband. When Anlynia came to take her son, he no longer recognized her as his mother, even though Celysel had taken him to visit her on a daily basis. It was hard to love someone who did not even know you were there, nor treated you as if you mattered. Celysel had warned Anlynia about this, she had warned the woman that the boy needed his birth mother during his first few years of life. Now, the damage was done, and Celysel now had a young son, whether she wanted him or not. Which she did of course, she loved the little boy to death, and even though he now understood that she was not his birth mother, he never did stop calling her 'Mommy' and she never had the heart to correct him. He lived with his real mother now, but Celysel would always be 'mommy' to him.

And now he was demanding her attention.

"What is it Anhi?" Celysel asked, bending over on the bench to get a better look at him. His green hair was short and choppy, since he had decided to experiment in cutting his own hair. His mother had tried to punish him by making him keep the hair style, but it actually didn't look all that horrible, and he didn't care about his hair either way. He had a round face, a little more rounded than most kids due to some pampering on Celysel's part, but he was energetic and quite playful. His skin color was a light purple, which was taken from his father's side, for his mother had blue-ish skin. His eyes glowed a bright yellow that shone with childish innocence. He was one of the most beautiful children she had ever laid eyes on. It might have been because it was that time of year, but whenever Celysel looked into his eyes, her heart panged for one of her own.

_To bear the son of a Troll? It would be considered an abomination. You'd never be able to share that with loved ones._

Funny, she hadn't even been thinking about that when the desire rose up within her. Although she was happy with what she had now with Lorkan, she had never once considered having children with him. That was ludicrous. Their relationship was intimate, and she had deep feelings for him, but she knew he'd never want anything permanent, and she wasn't so sure that she wanted that either. Logically she knew that their relationship was not to last, it would be wonderful while it lasted, but eventually he would go back to his own kind and so would she. Why would Lorkan stay with her when he had beautiful Trollish females that she was sure he found way more attractive, especially for child bearing.

She found that thought extremely depressing for some reason, so she decided she would just simply not think about it any longer. Her attention focused back on Anhilir. He was holding something that he found to be very interesting in his hands, and the chubby bundle shot forward into her face, making her flinch and lean back a bit. Sometimes, children had a lack of depth perception, she believed.

"Mommy, I found a _bug_." He exclaimed happily, as if it were the bestest thing ever and she just _had_ to find it as cool as he did. "And…and!" he hopped up and down a bit, causing Celysel to giggle lightly. He was such a darling. "It has lotsa legs!" he opened his hands to reveal a rather colorful caterpillar. The wormy creature had green, violet, and yellow spots all over its body, and it was particularly fat, meaning that it would soon be looking for a lovely tree in which to cocoon itself in. It wriggled in the boy's hand causing the child to go into a fit of giggles. "_See? See?_ Isn't it the bestest thing ever?"

"Yes it is Anhi." Celysel said, ruffling the boy's hair a bit, causing a annoyed groan from him. "And," she continued, pointing at the full-looking worm "Look, it's really fat, so it's almost ready to become a butterfly. You know the pretty little bugs that you see flying around here? Well this little guy wraps itself in a cocoon for a few weeks and then boom!" she splayed her arms out wide and jumped up, laughing a bit at the high pitched shriek that came from her 'son' as he staggered back, a smile on his face as well. "It turns into a pretty butterfly and flies away!" at this she began to flap her arms and shuffle a bit, pretending to be a butterfly. "Fly with me Anhi!"

And so Anhi put the caterpillar into a nearby tree and began to flap his arms with his mother, laughing and skipping along. The other children joined into the fray and soon Celysel had a rather large gang of butterfly children flapping their arms and jumping up and down in an attempt to fly. As she flapped around she used some of her magic to produce butterflies of light, which fluttered around the children and caused them to hoop and holler in delight. They did this for a while until Celysel became tired, finally flopping down on the grass to be jumped on by numerous children, all laughing and hugging her. They all loved her, she was one of the few adults that they knew of who would play with them. Children were her secret weakness, even Lorkan knew that.

_I guess I be havin' ta use dat on ya in a few years._ He had said to her that day.

Of course, Celysel knew a joke when she heard it.

The fun couldn't last forever and they all knew it. As it became later in the day Celysel had to take little Anhilir home, much to his chagrin. She allowed him to say goodbye to his friends for the day and took his hand, leading him out of the clearing and towards his home. This wasn't actually terribly far, less than half a mile was a general estimate. It was late in the afternoon but this was little noticed in the land of Eternal Night, the only difference being in the drop of temperature. During this trip, which was of course extremely long to a young child, Celysel ended up having to carry him and within minutes he was sound asleep. It was like this when she arrived at his home, Anlynia waiting for them by the door. She was a beautiful woman with long flowing blue hair, her skin almost matching. When she had collected her son two years ago her face looked swollen and red, and her hair was disheveled. Now her hair was rich and healthy, her eyes had a bright shine to it. It was obvious that she had finally moved on from the death of her husband, in fact, she had even taken up on a few suitors who had called upon her. While Anlynia was envious of Celysel's relation with her son, she still wished the best for the young Druid forty years her junior, and was constantly trying to find her a suitor that would be more of Celysel's tastes. So far, she had not succeeded.

"I see you two children have had a hard day." Anlynia said, a bright smile emerging on her face as her sleepy son awakened, yawning and rubbing his eyes. With a soft unintelligible moan he held out his arms towards his birth mother, who took him into her arms. He immediately went back to sleep. "I see you tired him out, I thank you as he will sleep well."

Celysel shook her head "Oh it was nothing, we really were just enjoying ourselves, and he's so energetic." She reached over toward him, brushing some stray strands of hair from his eyes "You are so lucky to have a boy like him Anlynia. He is going to contribute much to our kind."

"I give my brightest blessings and prayers of forgiveness to the Goddess every day." The older Night Elf said "I wake up each dawn and look into his face, and I wonder how could I have ignored such a beautiful little boy. I cannot make up the years I lost with him, and I pay the price every day, for I know when he looks at me that he does not see me as his mother, that I am just the woman who birthed him."

"Oh Anlynia…that is not true…" Celysel hastened to correct the woman, "Anhi loves you very much, do not doubt this."

"I am not deceived Celysel. He calls me mother because he has been told he has to. He calls _you_ mother because to him, that is who you are. You cannot tell me differently."

Then she wouldn't. "Anlynia, your son loves you, and in time, he will see you as he sees me. He is young, you have plenty of time to make up for the years you lost with him. I understand that he sees me as a mother figure to him, but in time he will recognize you as his mother as well, and it will come sooner than later. Have faith in the Goddess, she will light your path."

The woman looked as if she were about to cry "Celysel, you always know exactly what to say. I am happy beyond belief that I have my son now, but I have seen you lately, and you desire a child of your own. I know you did not want me to do this but tonight I have arranged for you to meet with a very handsome male…"

"Anlynia!" Celysel exclaimed, shocked and somewhat appalled "You did that? But I _specifically_ expressed…"

"Calm yourself Celysel." She interrupted, giving her a warm smile "He is a good man, the cousin of my Illinar. You may have met him a few times, although the council does try to keep him out of public view because of his heritage." She leaned in as if to tell Celysel a horrible secret "He's half human you know." She stood up again "He's a warrior, and very powerful, and I recently found out that he's been wanting to court you for a long time, but has never been able to gather the courage. Then again, with you rejecting every fine and suitable male in from here to Ashenvale, it's no wonder."

And Celysel didn't feel it was any of the woman's damned business. What part of '_I don't want a mate'_ didn't anyone get around here? It was as if everyone she cared about was conspiring against her. And yes, she did want children, but she wanted it when she was ready, not with people breathing down her neck about it.

_And when would be the right time? When Lorkan decides he's tired of playing house with you and goes off to find a suitable mate? How do you know he hasn't already? You haven't heard from him in almost two months and you've sent at least five letters. He probably went home, came to his senses like _you_ need to do, and decided to just not write you and hope you take the hint. You both went into the relationship knowing this would come up sooner or later and you both avoided it. You can't be mates you're both on the other side of the playing field. If you can't be mates, you can't have children and even if you did have children without being mates, the bastard children wouldn't be accepted with your kind. If Lorkan cannot be the father, and you want children, who will be?_

It wasn't that simple. Lorkan was important to her, and her desire to be with him was strong. She couldn't just ignore that.

_Do you love him?_

Well…she wasn't sure. She didn't think so, she hardly knew anything about him. During their time together the only thing she really learned about him was his current interests and things he liked to do in bed. She had done most of the talking.

_Then why are you with him?_

Because being without him was difficult and she wasn't unhappy with their relationship. When he was gone she missed him terribly, when he was with her she felt as if she were walking in the clouds. He made her feel good, and more than just on a sexual note. She currently had no intentions of removing him from her life.

_Then you wish to become mates._

Of course not. That was impossible.

_Then your relationship is pointless. It will go no where and you will end up heartbroken. What do you know about him? Nothing. While you're falling in love with this creature he's probably off laughing and drinking with friends, letting women crawl all over him. You know how much of a flirt he is, did you honestly think he'd stay faithful to you? You desire a family, he desires companionship and sex, nothing more, otherwise you'd know more about him. You are no longer a child, you should stop thinking that way. It is time for you to take your place where you belong, with your own people. The normalcy that you will eventually desire as you grow older will be denied you if you stay with him. You want your future children to play with Anhilir, it will not happen if you stay with Lorkan. The charade has gone on long enough; it is time to move on._

She did not wish to move on. While her subconscious had a valid point, it didn't change her feelings for Lorkan.

_The fact that you're even thinking this, albeit abstractly, is proof of your doubts. Do not deny this._

Okay, fine. She _had_ been having doubts about their relationship; she had been having doubts from the beginning. The doubts she had before they had gotten together did not go away, they just took a back seat to her emotions. She did eventually want to have a family, and some secret part, deep down, for a brief moment thought that Lorkan could give that to her. Logically, he could not, even if he wanted to, but that didn't really make her feel better. Besides, he probably didn't want to. He probably _did_ have a large harem waiting on his beck and call. He didn't need her. Had he ever needed her?

"Celysel?" Anlynia asked, giving her a curious look. The druid snapped out of her depressing thoughts.

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking." She said. _Thinking of my undeterminable future._ She thought "W…what was his name again?" she found herself asking. Every fiber in her body screamed that she just needed to reject this notion and walk away, to tell Anlynia that she was fine and she didn't need a suitor right now, that she'd never need one.

But then she'd be lying.

"Jaxton." Anlynia said, her face lighting up with joy "Oh, Celysel, do go and meet him, he's such a nice man, and he's so _smitten_ with you. You are all he speaks of when he comes to visit, and he is handsome. And powerful, did I mention powerful?"

Actually, that name _did_ sound familiar to Celysel, but she couldn't place the face with the name. She remembered that name from meetings that her father would have with other important members of the council he now worked for. She remembered that he didn't really have a position in the Council, he was a bodyguard of some sort.

_He's your father's bodyguard._

Oh. That explained it. Ah, yes! Now she remembered him! She remembered how he was shorter than all the men in the meeting, and his skin had a pinkish tint to it that she had found odd. His eyes had a whitish glow to them, and despite his hard glare and statuesque stance, she could see the gentleness that appeared in those glowy depths. He was handsome, with long unusual brown hair that was tied back into a low ponytail. He looked exactly like a Night Elf despite those small features. Under normal circumstances, she would have found him to be the ideal mate.

_So why not now?_

She mentally sighed. _Fine, if it would please you oh, bitch of a subconscious, I will at the very least, let him date me for a day._

_It would. Thank you._

"Okay Anlynia, I'll bite." Celysel said, sounding defeated. Mental battles and battles with well-meaning friends were tiresome "When would you like for us to meet and go out?"

A male frame filled the woman's door as Jaxton, the topic of their conversation, emerged, looking highly embarrassed and shy. For someone who normally looked so serious, it was quite hilarious on him and cute, she had to admit that. Unlike the usual armor clad outfits she was so accustomed to seeing him in, he was wearing a casual green shirt and dark brown pants. His feet were bare and his long green hair was tied back into a low ponytail. Imposing was not the word she would have used to describe this man. Sexy, alluring, _dangerous_. The last part stuck into her brain like a branding iron, and she had no idea why she would think of him as dangerous. He was, that much she knew, but knowing that someone was dangerous and feeling that they were dangerous were two different things. He was appealing in just about every aspect, and were it not for the fact that she was currently with someone, he probably would have been a fine choice.

"Lady Celysel." He said softly, bowing slightly in a polite manner. A little too polite if they were going out on a date sometime in the future. Or tonight, if her well-meaning friend had anything to say about it. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you on a less…" he paused for a moment, as if trying to choose his words carefully "Formal occasion." He stepped forward and stood a few feet in front of her. Despite his Human background he still stood a few inches taller, but it was obvious that he wasn't even the average male height for a Night Elf. He took her hand in his and dipped his head, his lips brushing against the back of her hand lightly. He looked up at her, his gaze intense.

Celysel's breath caught in her throat as he looked at her. This man was not like the others, not at all; those men had craved power. Under normal circumstances, she was way too young for them, so her only appeal _was_ her father's position. When this man looked at her, she did not see the desire of her position that he craved for, it was something deeper, much deeper than she felt he should have considering their knowledge of each other. Perhaps it was his Human blood and mortality that drew him to her, but she knew that look. It was the same look that Lorkan would give her just before he'd pull her in for a passionate kiss, before he'd wrap his long arms around her and pull her close so they could look outside at the beautiful night sky together. He desired her. Not just her body, all of her, and Celysel couldn't understand why, or how he could feel that way if they didn't know each other.

And why hadn't she ever noticed that look on Lorkan to be what it was instead of thinking he wanted sex?

Could it be possible that Lorkan really did care for her? Of course she had no doubt that he liked her, and that he liked sleeping with her, but liking someone and truly caring for someone were two totally different things. Her head swam. Everything was becoming so confusing. If Lorkan really cared for her, _really_ cared, that changed a lot of things. That meant…

_Stop second guessing yourself._

"You flatter me." Celysel said, smiling gently at him "And please, call me Celysel. There is no need for you to be so formal with me."

He flashed her a brilliant smile and she could not help but return the gesture. Gently, he took her small hand into his much larger one and took a step forward, making her have to tilt her head up slightly to look at him.

"Celysel, if it is not too much trouble, I will like to take you on a walk tonight. It is beautiful, and the night is young. I know it is not much for a formal date, but you simply agreeing to meet with me like this has made me excited, right now I'd just like to spend time with you."

What a gentleman! And he was sincere, she could tell just by looking at him. His attention was completely devoted to her, in fact, it appeared that he had completely forgotten his shyness from his cousin being around to watch him. Celysel found herself putting her hand on top of his, her face growing warm as she looked at this kind man who looked at her as if she were a precious jewel, not with lust or power.

_This is what is normal. This is what you wanted. He will take care of you and love you. This is what you've desired._

Yes. Yes it was.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: This is a _fan-based_ _fictional_ piece. Not everything is going to match WoW completely, but I do try not to go insane with my ideas. WoW belongs to Blizzard; I'm just a poor fanfiction writer.

Love Has Its Reasons

Chapter 8

By: Catriana

It had taken Kaniar longer than it should have any Troll to recover, and since she healed faster than many Trolls anyway, that had really concerned her adopted brothers. Lorkan stayed by her side for the few weeks that she was on bed rest, making medicines for her and basically being a concerned brother. After looking at her wounds, it had been decided that it was more than mere magic that had been used here. After examination her blood, the shamans and priests had complained to Rohkan that it was as if she had been infected with some sort of virus. After finding numerous roots and herbs, they had been able to find a cure, but they were still long from figuring out exactly what it was that had infected her, or why Humans would even have such a deadly thing. The virus attacked the Troll's naturally speedy healing capabilities and diminished it to almost a human level, so wounds that only should have taken a few hours to a half a day had taken almost two weeks, and that did not include the terrible fever she had acquired from the entire ordeal. Thankfully, Kaniar was no pushover. She had recovered, if not completely, to the point where she was now conscious of her surroundings. Numerous people came in and out, some healers checking up on her status, some coming in to ask questions. The female hunter, although not a leader in any sense, was an asset. She was strong and she did what she was told, in this war, she had made many accomplishments, her injuries and the unusual circumstances for her obtaining them would not be overlooked.

"It be jus as I told ya," the red headed female said, her somewhat good nature growing thin as she spoke to another inquisitor "Dey appeared outta nowhere, we fought, dey died. I still dun 'member details mon, so qui' _askin meh._" she spat the last two words out through clenched teeth, and her hand twitched as if wanting her axe.

Today, Kaniar would be allowed to return to her small home and within a day would be back to whatever duties were given to her. Her healing abilities now returned to her, she was becoming a little restless, and despite the fact that the healers had wanted her to stay for another day or so to do some more tests, she, in her own _polite_ way, said that if she wasn't released today, she'd hack the place down and leave herself. She then got up and grabbed her battle axe, and it took four full grown male trolls to calm her down and take away her axe. Only one of them came out with small injuries. That was _after_ they took away her axe. She had then been asked politely to stay in bed until the paperwork was finished and someone came to get her. Lorkan was currently out taking care of some business, which left Rohkan, and Kaniar wasn't in the mood to see him either.

When she had recovered enough to talk, Rohkan had come to visit her once. It had been awkward, since she had tried her best to avoid him with a passion in the past, but since she had no real choice being in a hospital bed, she had ended up spending the most time with him in a close space that day than she had in the past two years. He hadn't come for much at first, he had basically explained how they had been forced to dispatch the other humans because of the attack and had only ended up retrieving a small amount of information as to why they were even out there in the first place. Because of their lack of teamwork, it had been assumed that they were just a group of individuals that had gotten together on a whim, and not a serious organized group. In a sense, they had failed the mission, since they had been sent there only to scout, but they _did_ find some vials of the poison that had been injected into her body, so that had been a good start. He explained how they had found her, and had given her as much medical attention as they could, but it wasn't enough. They had taken her to Thunder Bluff, and after they had healed her enough to travel, they brought her to Origimmar, taking the notes that the Tauren healers had given them for the Troll and Orc healers. He then began to talk about mundane things and so Kaniar tuned him out, until he asked her a question:

"Why ya be avoidin' meh?" he had asked her. At the time, he had been sitting down in a chair that had been right beside her bed, and for the first time since she had been a child, she had noticed just how tall he was compared to her even sitting, and it had made her feel nervous. She never got nervous.

She had blown it off, explaining that she hadn't been avoiding him, that he was out of his mind, and maybe he was a bit paranoid. Of course, he didn't buy it, even she hadn't believed that crap.

Instead of arguing, like he usually would have, he grinned, said that she was probably right and excused himself. Not being the reaction that she had expected, she had simply watched in dull fascination as he walked out.

But that was then. Now he was coming to pick her up and take her home. She didn't really need it, but Lorkan had insisted that someone walk her home and she rarely refused Lorkan anything. Besides that, it had been his last request before he had departed to go and see his Night Elf female. While Kaniar had no real objections to his desire to be with the enemy, he could have picked a better time.

Dismissing Lorkan for the moment, she frowned as her hand itched for her axe. It was a special prize that she had acquired from a particularly strong enemy, she had even almost gotten killed in the process. It was enchanted, so while somewhat large and dangerous, it was so light that she could wield it with one hand. The name of the weapon was _Skullsplitter_, ornately designed with gold, the handle dragon scale. It was actually a very picky weapon, it chose her as its master despite the fact that she had been with two warriors and another hunter at the time of the enemy's defeat, making itself so heavy that no one else but her could lift it. She had had it for years, keeping it sharp and polished so that it looked as beautiful as the day she received it. In return, it was probably the best weapon she had ever had, and when she did not feel its familiar weight on her back, she got a little _edgy_. Since her last outburst, they had denied her access to her beloved weapon, which made her even more edgy. It was, however, one reason to be grateful for Rohkan's arrival, since that meant she would be able to get her weapon back. Unfortunately, her happiness would be short lived, it was an almost two day trek back home on mount. She shuddered at the thought.

Rohkan, on the other hand, was practically skipping to the Spirit Rise(AN: I need to figure out if this is correct or not), obviously in a very good mood. He ignored the stares he received from others in the Horde as he walked along, a huge grin on his face. He always felt like this when he was going to see Kaniar, he was, afterall, in love with her.

Ah, to be in love.

Rohkan had loved many women, but not once had he ever been _in love_ with a woman. He was, like most other Trolls, simply in it for the physical perks of course, but there came a time in every Troll's life when they find that one person they desire to settle down with, the one that could make them faithful with just those few little words. Rohkan had finally found that woman, and he had no intention of letting her go.

Unfortunately, she had absolutely no desire to be with him.

This thought squashed any good mood he had been in, his mind going back to the numerous moments where he had tried to make moves on her and it ending very badly; very, very, _very_ badly. There had been times where he almost came out with a few broken bones, making him learn the hard way that Kaniar was _not_ a woman to anger. He tended to forget that she had grown up in the wild before he had found her, sometimes that part of her showed. Around him she was defensive, alert, and depending on what he tried to do with her, violent. It was a stark contrast to three years ago, when he, Lorkan, and she were almost inseparable. Kaniar and Lorkan especially, since he was a bit older than them, the two had actually grown up together and were as close as any true blood siblings could be. He had always been the big brother figure, Kaniar had even looked up to him, and now she hated him. That thought depressed him further, because he honestly had no idea as to why the woman he loved with all his being hated him so. He had never hit her unless they were training and it was necessary, he had never treated her with any disrespect, he had never tried to make her angry intentionally, she just…hated him. It was almost as if one day she had gotten out of bed and decided that she despised him. No explanation, no warning, just a sense of deep hatred for his being that left him cold.

Now thoroughly depressed, Rohkan's hand went behind his back as he grabbed the handle of the _Skullsplitter_, Kaniar's prized weapon. She had once told him that the weapon could be picky about who it allowed to carry it, so he was surprised when the weapon was alarmingly light when the Healers had insisted he take it into his care. He had taken the weapon home with him, sharpened, cleaned, and polished it until it even had a slight glow. He had done it mostly as a peace offering, to perhaps get on her good side, but a part of him had enjoyed doing such a simple task for his beloved, especially when he got to see the look on her face.

His spirits brightened a bit, the Shadow Hunter plastered a smile on his face and walked into the room where Kaniar had been assigned to. As expected, when she turned to face him, a scowl graced her beautiful features, making his smile droop a bit. Determined not to get too down in front of her, he waltzed in, taking long but lazy strides over to her bedside. She looked much better than before when he had visited. When she had been in somewhat critical condition he had stayed by her side as much as he had been able, his heart never ceasing in its rapid beating as he prayed to every God he could think of to save her. When she had finally gained consciousness he had stayed away for a bit, knowing that he was probably the last person she wanted to rest her crimson eyes upon. When he finally did visit her she had been, of course, hostile, although not nearly as cold as she could be, which made him feel a little better about the visit, but did not decrease his depression concerning their relationship. This time, since they were going to be spending some time together for a few days, he wanted them to have somewhat of a good start.

"Sup, Kan?" he asked, flashing her one of his trademark grins. She was, of course, immune to its unlimited charm, for she looked up at him with a blank expression.

"Sup." She said, her flat expression never changing.

Still, he tried to hang onto those final shreds of his positive mood that he could. "Ready?" he asked "Sorry I be a little late, got a little sidetracked."

If _that_ didn't drop the temperature in the room, Rohkan didn't know what did. Her gaze went from neutral to hard, making him flinch. Was it something he _said?_

"I'm sure." Came the icy reply as Kaniar tossed her sheets to the side, getting up with surprising agility, even going so far as to stretch, shifting her body so thatshowing off exactly how nimble she could flex backwards in an attempt to take out the stiffness in her back. Rohkan found himself staring at her body, he couldn't help himself. She was muscular but slim, firm everywhere she needed to be, soft and curvy everywhere it counted. Not surprisingly, he found his mouth had gone dry. Tearing his gaze away from her he grunted softly in annoyance and slight frustration. _Why_ did she have to hate him while he desired her so?.

"Wut dat mean Kan?" he managed to mutter, his eyes narrowing as he chanced a small peek at her. She had finished stretching and was now grabbing her belongings, consisting of a small red back pack. She wasn't looking at him, but she was clearly agitated. His previous desire gone, he turned to her again, simply staring at her in slight disbelief. What had he _done?_ Her attitude was erratic towards him at best, he could simply open his mouth and speak and she was furious with him. Her hatred towards him was extremely depressing, he didn't know what he could do to make it right again.

Could he make it right again?

"Nothing." Came the flat reply as she secured her pack, looking at him in slight impatience "Are we leaving or not?" she looked around, "Where's my axe?"

He had totally forgotten about her favored weapon. His hand reaching behind him, he pulled the axe from his back, holding it carefully. "Here it be Kan." He said softly, almost sadly. She turned to him again, giving him a slightly confused look.

Slowly, she walked over towards him, being extremely careful not to touch him as she took the weapon from him. She examined it, her eyes widening in love and appreciation at the fine polish, the soft glow it had. A soft smile graced her lips and his heart swelled. He had put a lot of time and effort into making that weapon beautiful, he was glad that she liked it.

"I'll have to give my thanks to Lorkan when I see him." She said and with a brighter smile, she strapped the weapon to her back, instantly looking more relaxed. "_That_, is much better." She said with a soft sigh "I missed _Skullsplitter_."

The Fates were playing a cosmic joke on him, he was now completely certain of this. Somewhere along the line of his life, he had done _something_ to _royally piss them off_ and now he was paying the price for it. That had to be it, there was no other reason for this to be happening to him.

"I did it." He said finally. He absolutely _refused_ to allow his brother to take the credit for his hard work, and damnit, he was tired of her ignoring his efforts. Even he could tolerate but so much.

There was a small pause as Kaniar let that sink in. She turned to him, a confused frown on her face. "You did it?" she asked, as if such a feat was something he could never conceive of. _That_ killed any sort of good mood he had for the day.

"Yea." He said a little flatly, shrugging. Fine, if she was going to be that way, he could pretend he didn't care either. "I know how much ya like it, so I took care o' it. She polish up reel good, reel nice like."

"Oh." Was all she could muster out at first. She turned her gaze away from him, her expression shifting from confused to guilty to confused again. She spoke again: "Danks mon. I…'preciate it."

Shrugging again, he turned his back towards her "We need ta git goin, odderwise we take three days stead of two." Without waiting to see if she would follow, he took off in a brisk walk out of the building and towards his mount.

Origimmar was pretty large, being the prime location of Thrall the Orc Warchief. Here, all Horde were welcome, similar to Thunder Bluff, the home of the Taurens. This was also a prime location to get any type of item you could possibly desire, so it was no mystery that even Undead frequented this location. In all honesty, Rohkan trusted the Forsaken about as much as he could pick up Sylvanas Windrunner and toss her from Undercity to Desolace. They were sneaky, secretive, underhanded creatures. They had their own agenda, that much was certain, however, the Horde needed them as much as the Forsaken needed them. Thrall had opened Origimmar to the other sects of the Horde, it would be rude not to open their doors to all of the Horde, loose alliance or no. If Sylvanas was smart, she wouldn't dare underestimate Thrall, it would be her death if she did. They would be ready when she decided to drop the façade.

As they made their way out of the building he walked over to his mount, a sturdy crimson raptor. Grabbing some raw meat from his pack he fed it to his source of travel, patting the beast before he reached for the reigns. He turned to Kaniar "After you mon."

She looked at him as if he were joking. "No." she said firmly "I ride behind."

Rohkan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Honestly, did she have to be so childish sometimes? "Look," he began, sounding as irritated as he was beginning to feel. "It be easier on both us okay? If we keep ta arguing, we neva git home."

He received a glare, but he was past the point of caring. Her attitude was exhausting and depressing, he wanted nothing more now than to just go home and relax.

Eventually, she agreed, even going so far as to unstrap her large weapon from her back and give it to him. He was a bit surprised, but said nothing as he secured the weapon on the beast as well as the rest of her belongings. Assisting her onto the mount, he seated himself as well. Pulling on the reigns and giving the raptor a soft nudge on the sides they were off, the raptor's strong legs moving swiftly as they left Origimmar, heading for home.

The trip for the first few hours were quiet at best, he slowed the beast down to a soft trot, not wanting to exhaust the creature, besides that, it was growing dark and he didn't like to ride during the night, especially not when he had been riding all day just to get to Kaniar. He thought about starting conversation but then thought against it, not really seeing the point. She'd just be short and curt with him, and it'd just make him even more depressed. The question of why she hated him went through his mind constantly, but he resisted…he resisted…

He felt her body grow slack against him after an hour or so, her warmth flowing into him as she rested, her head rolling to the side against his shoulder, showing that she was now asleep. Straightening up on his seat he looked down at her a bit, his eyes softening as he took her features in. When sleeping, her face lost that hardened edge to it and looked more serene. Her expression reminded him of an adorable child and he found himself smiling warmly at her. He really did love her, and he really wished that she would realize it. It was moments like this, when she let her guard down and allowed herself to just…be herself…that he felt his courage to confess his feelings rise. Of course, it went back down to microscopic dust once he actually wanted to go through with it, but he had tried a few times, if that meant anything.

The darkness began to rise as night fell, the moon rising over the horizon but giving them little light. Rohkan had excellent vision, but his beast was beginning to become sluggish from its unusual burden, even at a trot. Looking around, he found a nice area, a massive rock formation with enough coverage for them both until morning. Shifting, he led his mount over to the area, but not without waking Kaniar. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her shift and yawn softly, her crimson eyes hazed over a bit from sleep. He said nothing, she'd probably throw a fit for letting her guard down around him.

As expected, she jerked awake, moving away from him in surprise. She turned her head to him slightly, her eyes wide as they adjusted to her environment. When her eyes quickly adjusted they narrowed slightly, her expression anything but welcoming.

"Sorry." Came the flat, muttered apology before she turned her back to him, wiggling as if to widen the gap between them. He had tolerated her angry but beautiful look, but the wiggling had to stop. Not only was she quite unsuccessful in inching away from him, her lithe body was rubbing against him in just the right way and with his frazzled nerves, his reaction to it was instantaneous.

"Stop _moving_." He snarled, sounding harsher than he had meant to be. He had an excuse, frustration, both sexual and otherwise, depression, and her overall pissy mood were all very valid excuses.

He had tried to move away from her, to at least hide his reaction, but it was too late. Her body stiffened, but she did not move. Stifling a sigh, Rohkan halted his mount when they had reached their destination for the night, allowing her to gracefully slide off the mount. Dismounting from the other side, the embarrassed male troll tossed her belongings to her and without a word, began stalking off in another direction, towards another set of rock formations.

"Where ya goin?" he heard her voice, and a part of him fought not to answer. That side of him lost of course.

"Huntin…I be back." He muttered, not turning to face her or slowing down "Start de fire."

She said nothing else and he did not turn back to see if she would.

(AN: I really, REALLY wanted to continue this without leaving people going 'huh?' but due to the…'mature' behavior that goes on in this scene, I'm cutting it. You can read it at the website, and I'll try and give you an understanding of what happened earlier, but since FF kinda sucks with 'mature' stuff, I'm not taking any chances. I'm sorry! On with the story….)

He turned sharply, his hand now reaching for his axe. Who would dare follow him…?

Oh. She would.

Kaniar stood before him, her eyes slightly wide, her expression obviously shocked. A few things went through the male Troll's head, but he decided to dismiss them for the time being. Kaniar was here…how much had she seen? As if his earlier embarrassment hadn't be enough, now she had seen him…

"…I…was worried bout ya." she said, her voice shaky and hesitant. She was not armed, her expression indeed a mixture of worry and total shock. Unfortunately, despite the way she looked, this entire situation, for Rohkan, was the final straw.

He began to laugh.

There was no humor to it, but he threw back his head and laughed, a harsh, mocking sound. His hands clenching into fists, he stood up to his full height, which was quite a few inches taller than Kaniar despite her unusual height, and glared down at her. He smirked then, but there was no humor within it, matching his previous laughter. As he regarded her, his thoughts kept going back to her words, and it boiled him up inside. She _dared_ to say she was worried about him? _Her_? The woman who treated him as if she could care less if he lived or died? Snorting, he turned his gaze away from her.

"Funny talk comin' from someone who hates meh." he snapped, his voice tight, almost a growl.

"..W..what?" he heard her stammer out. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her take a step forward, but when he growled his warning, she instead took a step back. "Rohkan, I..I don't hate ya..it's just…"

"Let's not fool each other ok?" he turned to her then, his anger and held back bitterness at her mannerisms towards him finally beginning to emerge "Ya treat me like de dirt ya walk on, no, worse dan dat mon. Fo years I be wantin' ta git close to ya, but…"

This time she snorted, crossing her arms, her posture anything but inviting "Sure Rohkan, lemme drop my drawers for ya now and hop inta bed witcha, dat is what ya be wanting ain't it?" she growled, taking a step forward. He blinked at her, his previous anger forgotten for the moment. What the hell was she talking about?

At his obvious confusion, she grinned, but it was every bit the same grin he had worn on his face just a few seconds ago "Oh? Cat got ya tongue now mon?" she asked, tilting her head to the side "What? Did ya honestly tink I'd be like those other hussies an' just inta bed witcha? Like, just cuz I came o' age dat made me a booty call too? Sorry mon, Kan dun work dat way, I ain't here for ya ta dip ya stick in wheneva ya get bored with da rest…"

"Wait." he held out a hand while he leaned against the rock again, trying to get her words straight. "You tink dat I…" No, he didn't even need to ask, he knew what she was thinking. It was no secret that he liked to sleep around, and it was no secret that he slept with a lot of women…sometimes at the same time. He liked sex, a lot of men did, and while none of those women could ever hold a candle to Kaniar, she was _angry_ at him because…

No. She wasn't just angry at him…she was _jealous._ Years ago, when she had reached of age, he had been somewhat 'involved'. He didn't immediately try to hit on Kaniar, it had been a few months afterward that he had actually noticed her. He remembered that day like it was yesterday, it had been the first time he had really spoken to her, and she had been as cold as ice then as she was now. If he had started hitting on her immediately after she had turned of age, it would make sense that she would be angry with him, it would be reasonable that she felt he was just trying to get into her pants…but that wasn't it. She was mad at him before he had ever made a move on her. Why? Why would she be angry with him before he could even say a word to her? Now that he thought about it, Lorkan had even made mention of it in the past a few times, something about how Kaniar was most angry with him when he was around other women…

"Of all da _bullshit…_" he spat. She treated him like shit for years because she was _jealous?_ Far be it from her to actually come and talk to him about anything like a reasonable person, she hated him because he liked to be with other women, but she hated him when he tried to hit on her as well, because she didn't want to end up like those other women that he messed around with. Okay, that was reasonable, Kaniar was different from other women, but if she had just talked to him about it, he would have told her the truth, how he really felt…

"It ain't bullshit!" she snapped, dragging him out of his thoughts "Fo years I've watched ya sleep around with just anyone! Den ya decide that ya wanna add me to ya list well guess what! It ain't gonna happen! I told ya a long time ago how I felt bout dat shit, how I won't gonna be nobody's play thing!"

He slammed his fist against his resting place, cracking the rock a bit. His bright eyes glared at her, his body shaking, but with rage "You…" he growled "Kaniar, I found ya, I took ya in, I took care of ya when nobody else would. When everybody else picked on ya, Lorkan and I were dere for ya, cuz ya was family. Even when ya cried, dose rare times, we were dere for ya. Kan, I've known ya for _years_, how could ya even _tink_ I'd stoop so low as to use ya like dose other women? Ya mean more ta me den da world itself, I'd _kill_ for ya, I _have_ killed for ya. I've fought with ya, did missions with ya, ta tink that ya'd tink so lowly of me that I'd actually _hurt_ ya…dat shit hurts more den ya hatin me. I ain't neva treated ya like dose other women, I _love_ ya too much for dat." when her eyes widened, he chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah Kan, dat right. I love ya, I'm _in_ love witcha. All dese years, me be tinkin I did someting wrong, someting ta hurt ya bad…" he turned his back towards her, sighing "Mebbe it be my fault, mebbe I shoulda' tried harda ta make ya see how much I cared bout ya, but wut's dun is dun. Come morrow, I git ya home, den ya can forgit I exist, just like ya been wantin' ta for da past few years. Goodbye Kaniar." without looking back or waiting for her to speak, he walked away from her, at the very least to walk around and think for a while.

He was heartbroken. He couldn't get over the fact that she could even think that he'd do something so horrible to her. He was well aware of her feelings on being with another man, if she had just given him an opportunity, he could have shown her that she was the only one he wanted to be with. He could have told her everything, how he loved her, how he wanted to make _her_ dreams come true. He wanted to give her that family that she had always wanted, he wanted to give her the life that she had always desired but was robbed of as a child. Even as she grew up, he tried to make her happy, because he cared about her. Granted, those feelings of brotherly affection turned into something much deeper, he had never shown that he wanted her to be anything but happy around him. It hurt, it was as if she had struck him in the chest with her prized weapon, pushing deeper and deeper until there was nothing left but pure, excruciating pain.

It was time to let her go. She could never be happy with him if she couldn't trust him, and he would never be happy if she was always looking over his shoulder to see if a woman would be trailing behind him. He thought eventually he could win her over, he thought eventually that if he tried hard enough, he could make her see that he wasn't a bad person, that he could be good to her. It was obvious now; she had never thought he was a good person. Ever.

Silently, he wept as his heart shattered into oblivion.

When Rohkan returned, Kaniar was sitting by a campfire that she had started, he assumed that, since one of her specialties was cooking, that she had some flint and timber. After walking a good distance away from their little 'camp' he had found himself returning to his point of origin, his heart dragging along with his feet. He didn't want to face her, he didn't want to look at her, he didn't want to be near her. Never, in his darkest hours, had he known despair such as this. Never in his life had he ever felt so…helpless. His love for her still burned as hot as the sun, yet her hatred somehow managed to dim its light, casting a shadow over his soul. She was his mate, he knew it in his bones; she was meant to be with him. He knew that there would never be another woman for him, he knew that he would never feel complete without Kaniar. What was he to do, now that he had accepted the fact that she would never feel the same, that she was repulsed by him?

Her voice, surprisingly soft, brought him half way out of his thoughts. "Rohkan…" she began, her crimson eyes were tinged with gold, the fire giving them an almost ethereal glow "…I…I'm sorry."

He shrugged, not really paying attention. "Fer whut?" he asked. Sitting down, he turned away from her, looking out into the distance of the night.

"…I…" she paused, as if trying to think of what to say. She looked away from him then, her expression troubled. The silence finally fully snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked up at her, and then _looked_ at her. In all the years that he had known her, she had never looked so…forlorn. She looked as if she were troubled by some heavy burden that only she could carry alone. A part of him went out to her, his love for her overshadowing his deep depression.

"Whut wrong Kan?" he asked softly, "Whut be da matta?"

"….You…did ya meant what ya said earlier…all dose tings?" she asked softly, her gaze still on her hands in her lap.

The question threw Rohkan off guard. If she was talking about their earlier embarrassing and upsetting encounter, she was a little late with the question. Their brief argument had left him feeling the worst he had ever felt in his entire life. The only reason he was returning was because he had promised to take her home, and for that he needed to get some rest, otherwise he would be useless using his mount.

He really wasn't in the mood for games anymore, he knew his heart couldn't take it. "Look mon, I know ya hate me, I know ya tink I be da scum of Azeroth. It be in ya body language, da way ya talk to me, da way ya look at me…I'm no fool Kan, I know hate when I see it…"

"I dun hate ya Rohkan…" she interrupted, her bright gaze meeting his own. She looked somewhat pleading, but it only made him think of how much she hated him, and that look only depressed him further. He turned away from her.

"Dun lie…" He said "I know how ya feel, it obvious mon…"

She decided to interrupt him again "Rohkan!" she implored "I dun hate ya! I mean…ya be fustratin and flirty…and it _really_ makes me mad…but I dun hate ya. When ya said dat stuff back dere…I wanna say sorry, I ain't be treatin ya fair, I know dat. Ya dun a lot for me over da years, and I ain't been very grateful." Sighing, she got up and walked around the campfire to him. Startled and surprised, he could only stare up at her until she sat down beside him, her expression devoid of any true emotion but still so serious at the same time. Their arms were touching and she looked at him intensely, as if hoping to convey her seriousness.

"Kan…" he began, almost in warning.

"Shhh…" she placed a finger on his lips to silence him "Look mon, I stood back dere and listened to every word ya had to say, so ya gonna listen ta me now." She sighed then, closing her eyes for a moment, looking like she was trying to gather her courage. When she opened her eyes, it was as if he had looked at her for the first time in his life. There was no anger, hatred, _jealousy_ that had flared her senses before. What he saw was something he had missed, the real Kaniar, _his_ Kaniar. The one who had trusted him with her life, the one who confided in him when she needed it, the one who would flash him brilliant smiles whenever he told a joke. His heart began to pound, how long had it been since he had seen her look at him in such a manner? It would be no mild exaggeration to say that he had missed that sight.

"Rohkan, I dun hate ya, quite da opposite." She leaned back a bit, if only to give herself some breathing room "You and Lorkan be da only people in da world I care about wit all mah heart. When Lorkan and I came o' age, he was out wit all de women, tryin' ta be like his big bro," she poked him in the chest. "I din' wanna be like dat, runnin' round wit all dose men, not lovin' dem at all…da truth be told…I din' wanna be with another mon cuz…"

Lightly, she grabbed his arm and leaned forward. Completely shocked, he could do nothing but sit there on his little rock as she tilted her head, kissing him lightly on the lips. His brain stopped functioning, he could no longer think as he marveled at this complete 180 that she had managed to pull on him. He knew that he had never understood women, but Kaniar took the _cake_.

When she pulled away, he opened his mouth to speak but no words emerged. What the hell could he say? His heart had been in the pit of despair because he thought she found him to be the most vile creature alive, now she was kissing him. In all honesty, what could he say?

"Rohkan…" she began and sighed, scooting closer to him. He almost backed away from her; what the hell was going on? "Back dere, when ya said dose tings…when ya said ya loved me, it was as if my heart just…" she shrugged, not being able to come up with a suitable adjective "It was like ya had just granted me a wish…and I knew den dat I couldn't deny it no mo. Roh, I thought I hated ya, I thought I hated ya lifestyle…I thought about all dose women…dose _women…" _she spat out the last part, making him flinch "An' all I could tink about was dat if it happened ta me, it'd be unbearable…cuz I…I din' wanna be like dose other women, I din' wanna be just another good lay…I din' wanna share ya…"

His slight panic at her change in attitude turned to curiosity. He relaxed a bit, looking down at her. She was resting her head lightly on his arm, as if too shy to look him in the eye. Intrigued and slightly confused, he reached and tilted her chin up to face him with his finger. Her crimson eyes were deep and dark despite the firelight, her expression was…

"I din' tink ya could eva love me…not da way I wanted it." she finally confessed, her body shaking lightly "I felt stupid fo' fallin' fo ya, but I couldn't help it. I din' wanna believe it, cuz I thought I knew what would happen. I thought dat I'd be like da other women, dat we'd just sleep round till ya got bored, and I wanted a mon who would be wit me and me only, but I couldn't move on, I couldn't git ya outta my head, and it made me angry…I din' wanna love someone who'd just break me heart."

He couldn't believe it. Were his ears deceiving him or was she confessing that she was in love with him? Clearly, he was imagining things, because this was something he had only been able to dream about. Even the mood was right; the full moon above them, the campfire keeping them warm, her dark eyes looking into his with all the love and adoration that they felt for each other…it was just a dream, something that he had only been able to come up with in his wildest fantasies. It was impossible, she could not be telling him that she loved him. Could she?

"Kan, I'd never…" he began, but she shush-ed him by placing her finger on his lips again. He briefly decided that if she did that again, he'd nip them.

"I know dat now…" she said and sighed, looking away from him "Rohkan, I din' know at first dat I loved ya, when I figured it out I tried to deny it, but it was so fustratin dat I started ta take it out on ya, and it wasn't fair. I know ya tried ya best to tell me how ya felt…now dat I tink bout it, I see all de signs, I just din' wanna believe it. I hurt ya real bad, I dun know what I can do ta make it better, I've been jealous fo so long…" she sighed again, her expression turning downcast "I hate dat part of myself, I dun wanna be hateful to ya, cuz I love ya." she turned to him, her gaze pleading "Rohkan, I can't share ya, I wanna be with you and only you. I can't handle ya flirtin, or sexin' wit' other women…"

Without thinking, he pulled her close and kissed her deeply, startling her. All these years of uncertainty, all these years of confusion, if only they had been able to really sit down and talk, it would have been better, they would have been together. All that had stopped them was misunderstandings and assumptions. No more. No more would he let something so simple come between them. Not now, not ever.

Pulling away from her, he sighed, but it was of happiness, not despair "Kaniar," he began, making her look up at him so she could see how serious he was "I promise I won't look, touch, hug, kiss, mess with, whatever, another woman if ya tell me right now dat ya'll be mine. I mean it. If ya say yes, ya gotta mean it, and it gonna mean dat ya gotta trust me. Ima tell ya right now, ya be da only woman for me, ya da only one I want. Ya gotta trust me, cuz I ain't goin anywhere 'less ya tell me ta git. We need to be havin some understandin' goin on round here, cuz otherwise, we neva gonna be happy. Now we know how we feel, we gotta make it work…if dat what ya be wantin…" he trailed off, waiting for her response.

"I know Rohkan…" she nodded "An' ya ain't gotta go dat far ta prove yaself. I can't be jealous all de time, I gotta trust ya, and I haven't cuz my jealousy. I guess…as corny as dis gonna sound, if I can trust ya wit my life, I guess I can trust ya wit me heart." she gave him a look "I ain't gonna be easy ta deal wit', ya know dat."

Nodding, he put his arm around her, smiling as she put her head on his shoulder, trying to move closer to him.

"Kan, I knew from de first day I met ya dat ya was gonna be a handful, if I could handle ya as a wild ting den, I tink I can handle ya now." he leaned forward, resting his head against hers "Cuz now dat I got ya, I ain't lettin go, not now, not eva."

He felt her shoulders shake as she softly laughed "Dat was all I had ever wanted ta hear."

End Chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

Love Has Its Reasons

Chapter 9

As her dear friend Bari Blackhammer slipped through the entrance of her secret exit, one that she used frequently when she wanted to escape into the world unseen, Celysel sighed in slight depression. The Dwarf had returned after weeks of being gone, keeping his eyes open for a messenger from Lorkan, but coming up empty.

It had been only a few months since she had last heard from him, and this was something that they had discussed could happen depending on what was going on on their side of the war, but Celysel could not help but to feel a little betrayed. Her doubts about their relationship had only increased as the days went by and her dates with Jaxton became more frequent. She knew that her efforts were futile, that she could never truly be with a male such as Lorkan, but her heart refused to believe it, refused to believe that all they had shared within their short times together were for nothing.

Celysel was young but she was not a fool. She had jumped into a relationship expecting nothing but physical gratification, and she had gotten it. She had thought of herself as an adult, as a woman who could make her own decisions despite that the other Night Elves looked at her as not yet a full woman. When she had been with Lorkan, he made her feel the woman that she was, and he did not look down upon her because of what she was, or how young she was. She knew little about him as a person, but did that mean she did not know his heart? During those times together, when they would simply be in each other's company for a month or more, he had always been content to lie and listen to her talk, to learn more about her. He had always looked so sincere and happy when he was around her, and sometimes, for just a few moments, she allowed herself to think of them as more than just casual lovers.

And indeed they were! They did write each other, which was more than what casual lovers did, and in those letters Celysel had learned what he did not speak in words. He was a passionate man, a man of principles who lived life to live it. He was an easy going guy, he discriminated against no one, and he had mentioned more than once that he wanted something more than what they had. They had a relationship, sure, and she had been happy with that, but now that her feelings were growing all the more stronger, now when she looked at her 'adopted son's eyes, she wanted children of her own. She wanted a family, she wanted love, true and honest love, and she was not sure if Lorkan was the one who could give her that.

And yet, the more she was with Jaxton, the more empty she felt. She was among her own people, her own kind, with a man who was of her own race, yet she did not feel anything when she was around him. Sure he was a nice man, and very handsome as well, but there was something missing. His laughter wasn't mischievous, his mannerisms were restrained, as if he were holding back. He never held a teasing note, he never tried to rile her up or challenge her. In all honesty, Jaxton was boring.

But then again, her own kind had always been a bore to her. They lived by such a strict code all the time, sometimes they were elitish and annoying, which was why she had wanted to strike it out on her own. Bari Blackhammer had been such a refreshing sight. Gruff, lewd, outspoken, but yet with a heart as pure as gold. Bari had no qualms about picking fights or doing battle, yet he also was her strongest friend, emotionally and physically. He provided her with sage advice and told her to follow her heart, even if it meant that she was falling for the enemy. While he had not been too happy about her choice to bed a Troll, he did not stop her, and in fact encouraged her when he realized that this male made her smile more than she ever had since he had known her.

_Always seek yer happiness lass, for ye heart will ne'er treat ye wrong. Wha'er makes ye happy makes ye happy, an' not a damn thing anybody should say bout it!_ He had said to her, and she had hugged the little Dwarf that day(and had gotten herself a string full of curses for it!) and the meaning had been clear.

She sighed aloud, her bright gaze going back to the secret doorway, her expression forlorn. Never in her life had she been so torn in a decision. Her heart was obvious, but logically, it could never work, and the more excuses she made as to why it could work just produced ten counters as to why it wouldn't. The bottom line was: even if they wanted a life together, who would accept them?

The better question was: Was she ready to leave her people, her family behind for a male?

She sighed again, but this time she did so to fight back tears. Her heart felt heavy in her chest, for she knew now that she was more than likely in love with Lorkan, and there was nothing she could do about it. No matter what, they could no longer afford to play games any longer; she had to break it off before she did something she would regret for the rest of her life.

Turning in her seat, she brought out a quill and ink and placed them on her desk. Slender fingers began to move over the parchment she unrolled as she began to write her final goodbyes to the male she knew she was now in love with. She confessed her feelings to him, her desires that she knew would never be, and prayed that the Goddess would watch over him. While Celysel was a Druid, she did believe in Elune, the Moon Goddess, but she knew there were some prayers that simply could not be granted.

It was time to let go. She finished the long letter with a tearfilled goodbye and put the letter into an envelope, putting it in a special place that Bari would find. He would be back later on in the evening, but she would not be there. Tonight, she was going to go out with Jaxton, and tonight she would resign herself to her true destiny.

Lorkan, oblivious to Celysel's thoughts was trudging along in Night Elf territory, keeping to the deep forests and in the shadows. Teldrassil was a far cry from where he would prefer to be as a Troll, but he had no choice. He had spent a lot of his time with Kaniar, trying to get her better from a strange virus that some shady humans had had near their territory. In that time, he had not heard from Celysel in months, and he was worried. Had she finally decided that she wanted nothing to do with him?

He tried to dismiss that notion that Celysel, after everything they had been through during this past year, would simply forget about him. He knew her too well at this point. He had spent months with her at a time, getting to know her, and in more than just a physical way. Yes, the relationship had started out on a purely physical level, she was beautiful, and for some reason, she had found him appealing. Their relationship had grown into something more concrete over time, and even though they had known each other just short of a year, and had spent most of that time apart than together, when they had been together, things just _clicked_. When he was with her, it was if they had always been together, all of their lives. He laughed with her, yelled at her, got yelled at, had quiet moments, was passionate with her…

He had known that he was in love the moment he went back home and realized that no other female drew his attention. Celysel was a Night Elf, and beautiful at that, but never would she had had the effect on him as she did if she were not something special. He had given himself a long time to think about it, to really think about his feelings, and he knew that she was meant to be his. He wouldn't deny it, he wasn't going to be like Kaniar with Rohkan, but then came the other, more important question:

What would he do about it?

Under normal circumstances, had Celysel been a Troll, he would have made her his mate, 'marriage' as the Humans called it. But this wasn't normal circumstances. Celysel was a Night Elf, and he was a Troll, and the two races weren't on friendly terms with each other. Unlike Celysel who had let this depress her and drag her down emotionally, Lorkan had thought about it for all of two seconds before the thought '_fuck it' _popped into his head.

Okay, so the two races were enemies, so what? There were neutral lands out there, and his small village would accept her as long as she didn't try and sneak off and do something drastic. He would have to present her to Thrall, of course, so that he could test her and make sure of her loyalty, but Thrall didn't hate the Alliance races, he just did what he had to do to allow his people to survive, even if that meant being their enemy. Lorkan respected that in Thrall, always had, always would.

And if she wasn't accepted, he would go someplace where they would be. He knew that they could make it work if they tried, but the thing was, the 'trying' part was a two way street. He wasn't exactly sure of Celysel's feelings, and she seemed quite attached to her family and her people. Not that he wasn't, but his people also weren't uptight Night Elf assholes either. He had a feeling that his people would accept her faster than her people would accept him…if they didn't kill him at first sight.

Lorkan moved through the darkness, hoping that his potions of invisibility would hold out for a bit longer, at least long enough for him to find Celysel, get her to a secluded area, and talk to her. He wanted to try and convince her to go to Booty Bay with him again, and maybe the two of them could have a nice long chat about the possibility of them spending the rest of their lives together. Of course, he was taking an awfully huge step very quickly, but he wasn't a Human, and he wasn't bound by the strict traditions of the Night Elves. He was a Troll, and when a Troll knew what they wanted, they went after it. Plain and simple. He wanted Celysel, now he needed to know if she wanted him as well.

The thought that she had been found out crossed his mind as well, but then he would have heard something from her little Dwarven friend, that he knew. So she wasn't in danger, she just hadn't written him or tried to contact him. He wasn't sure which one he liked the least.

The forest this night reminded him of the first time they had met, when she had been transformed into that beautiful black panther. She had looked majestic and beautiful, the Hunter in him had wanted nothing but to tame her, until he realized she was a Night Elf. He still wanted to tame her in a way, but for totally different reasons. The air was cool as well, the moon was high, giving the land a whitish glow. Wisps were floating around, moving through trees, slowly moving, always moving. He wasn't sure if he liked Wisps all that much, but they didn't really harm him so he supposed they weren't bad. He knew what they were, but as long as they didn't go trying to tell some Night Elf who was bloodthirsty for enemy blood that he was around, they were fine with him.

He made almost no noise as he moved through the lush vegetation, his golden eyes sharp and alert, hoping to find Celysel. He was near the village, but he didn't want to get too close in fear that he be caught. As he thought about it, he realized that he really was an idiot: how could he get to Celysel if he couldn't get into the village? What if she wasn't even there? What a jackass he'd look like then. But he held fast to his gut feeling that she was here, and that something was wrong. He couldn't place his finger on it, but when she hadn't written him, something had told him to go and find her before it was too late. Too late for what he didn't know, but he didn't want it, whatever it was.

Noises caught his attention, male and female. They were distant, but not so much that he couldn't find them. Using his skills as a Hunter he moved through the dense forest, grateful that there weren't a lot of people out this time of day, or night, or whatever it was that these Night Elves had around here. Minor frustration moved through him, how the hell could one tell if it was dark or day here?

As he neared the voices he did recognize one of them to be his beloved Celysel. His heart began to pound as he thought about her. It had been months, he hadn't really realized how much he had missed just the sound of her voice. He pressed on further, until his gaze could make out two forms in the darkness. He had a decent type of night vision, but nothing compared to that of the Night Elves.

Celysel came into view as he came as close as he dared, but something told him to stay back, stay hidden. He did so, crouching down into the bushes and sneaking closer, his hands suddenly itching for his gun. He wasn't quite sure why he wanted his favorite weapon all of a sudden…

"I have thought of nothing but you these past few days Lady Celysel…" came a voice that belonged to the other figure. Confused, concerned, and starting to become a little annoyed, he moved a bit closer.

Celysel was standing in front of a male, Night Elf although not quite. The male was about an inch or two taller than his love, with purplish skin and green hair that came down to his shoulders. He did not have facial hair and he didn't seem as bulky as the average Night Elf male, but there was something about him that screamed 'warrior' even in those plain garments he was wearing.

His beautiful Celysel, however, looked wonderful. Her hair had grown since he had last seen her. She had let her hair down and it flowed now almost to the middle of her back, instead of to her shoulders. She wore a beautiful silver blouse with elaborate leather pants and beautiful black boots. She was smiling up at the Night Elf male, but the smile didn't reach her eyes it seemed. Lorkan watched as the male grabbed Celysel's hands and pulled her into his embrace, his golden gaze boring down into her silver one.

"My Lady…" he continued "I, I know that this may be forward, but I could think of nothing else. These outings we have been going to have been wonderful, but I've been wondering if perhaps you would…like to take our relationship further…" he said it bashfully, as if the words were foreign and frightening to him. Celysel looked shocked and surprised, but not unhappy.

Lorkan, who had very acute hearing, was also shocked, but for different reasons. Relationship? _What_ relationship?

"F..further?" Celysel asked, completely oblivious to the fact that Lorkan was so near, her shock was so great. Yes, she had finally come to terms that she and Lorkan may not be able to be together, but she still wasn't sure if she wanted to simply jump into a relationship so fast. She still wanted to actually 'officially' break up with the person she was with, she had hoped that after she delivered her letter, the time gap in which he would reply would have been enough for her to try and move on when she got that final letter from him. She wasn't ready to jump into Jaxton's arms, she wasn't ready to try and love another man just yet.

Of course, she was going to try a relationship with Jaxton of course, but she had wanted to take that very, _very _slowly until she could somewhat get over Lorkan. This was not slow. Her being in his arms was not slow, and him looking down at her like he wanted to devour her was not slow either. Suddenly, she felt very uncomfortable and she wanted to leave, but in his mind, it wouldn't make sense. In his mind, she was very much single(and probably very much a virgin in his mind), and had no thoughts of another man, so why should she shy away from his advances? A part of her didn't want to, because she knew that it would be a step in the right direction, in the direction that didn't lead to heartache, but in her heart she knew that to move so forward like this would be a betrayal to Lorkan, and he would never forgive her for it.

_What does it matter?_ Her subconscious asked _It's not like he isn't cheating on you._

But she didn't know that, and a part of her felt like he wouldn't. Yes, he was flirty, but whenever she was around, his eyes never strayed to another woman, his gaze was always intent on her, when they were together, he came for no other reason than to be with her, she knew this. Would someone like that really just go back to cheating? It didn't seem like Lorkan, no matter how much her inner voice tried to tell her differently. In her _heart_, she knew that Lorkan had not betrayed their trust. She wanted to do this properly, the right way. She wanted to break things off with Lorkan and then move on, she wouldn't allow herself to become loose like this…

Yet, when she did not answer, she saw a shadow come over Jaxton's eyes, and then before she knew it, he pulled her tighter against his body, lowering his head and crushing his lips against hers. The kiss was tender but somewhat forced, and it felt so uncomfortable and wrong that she had to fight down the urge to push him away violently and try to explain herself. If she pushed him away, he would want to know why, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to deal with those sort of questions.

Danger pricked in the back of her neck and she broke off the kiss, her head and eyes moving around, trying to find the reason for the intense feeling of anger and hatred that she felt coming their way. Jaxton, confused, merely looked out into the darkness of the night before looking back at her.

"Lady Celysel? What is wrong my love?"

The wording of the question, and not the question itself, startled her. She looked up at this male who had said such bold words to her, her eyes widening in shock and disbelief.

"…I…forgive me my Lady…" Jaxton hastened to explain, feeling that he had went a bit too far with his words "It was too soon to say that I think…"

Despair began to fill her. She could not have this man fall in love with her, not when she had her feelings for Lorkan, who she, deep down, prayed that he felt the same. She knew that Jaxton's advances would become more bold now, especially since he had confessed his feelings, whether they be true or not, and she wasn't ready for that just yet. She wasn't really ready for anything.

So when another voice perked up from the shadows, Celysel's blood went cold.

"So den, me's guessin dis be the reason ya haven't been writing me eh?"

Quickly, she tried to move away from Jaxton, now knowing the feeling of danger that she had just sensed. Silver eyes moved over to the form of her lover Lorkan, his tall and lanky form leaning against a tree, his golden eyes menacing as they bored into her as if he could see into her soul. He was grinning, but it was the harshest grin she had ever seen on his features, and she knew then and there that she hated it. She hated it more because she knew she was the cause of it.

_Goddess forgive me…_

AN: This is short, but it's mostly because I'm trying to get these chapters out of the way. Chapter ten will be much longer, with much more emotion and more explanation. Forgive me for the shortness of this chapter. It's not my normal style, but it'll have to do.


	10. Chapter 10

Love Has Its Reasons

Chapter Ten

AN: WARNING! HEAVY language ahead!

Enraged. Furious. Livid. None of these words could accurately decribe the feelings that Lorkan felt at that very moment as his golden eyes rested on the love of his life and..._another man_. He felt his hands clench tightly as he looked at the loose embrace they held, at the obvious guilt that flashed into those beautiful silver depths of her eyes. _Guilt_ meant that it was definitely something more than them hugging, which he could have dealt with. _Guilt_ meant that they were out on more than just a friendly stroll around the area, which he could have handled. He watched intently as her hand slid from the man's chest and she began to wisely move away from him, his eyes never left her, never rested on anything else but her and her actions. He stood there, a few more steps and he could touch her, and yet he stayed floored to his spot, forcing himself to try and see in something other than red.

He could throttle her. He could kill _him_. He would, he should, he should…how _could she?_

Indeed, rage flared through his mind, ensnaring him in a vicious web of jealously, pain, and pure unadulatered _anger._ Lorkan had never been jealous in his entire _life_, he was a laid back guy, 'live and let live' he'd always say. He had been in relationships where he and the female still slept around with others, it had never bothered him before. This was different, she was special, she was…

Didn't they have an understanding? Was this why she had stopped writing him, to be with this…this…_fucker?_ This Night Elf male that had _nothing_ on him in looks, strength, sex...

If she fucked him, he'd lose his mind. He honestly wouldn't know what he'd do to her, but shaking her was at the very top. He'd never hurt her, he could _never_ hurt her, but these emotions, these feelings, they left him grasping for something, _anything_ to make it go away. The desire to murder the man in front of him was strong, but a small part of him warned that Celysel would probably be sad, and even though he felt like her feelings really didn't matter at this point, that small part of him still felt as if he should.

He felt himself smirk, but there was no humor to it at all. "Wut be the problem mon, cat gotcher tongue? I asked ya a question." he asked her, his voice sounding cold and distant. He ignored the part of his heart that tugged painfully as she flinched at his voice, as her eyes looked at him, pleading for understanding. What was there to understand? Honestly, _what was there to understand_?

She opened her mouth to speak but was silenced as the Night Elf male took a step forward, as if trying to move in front of Celysel defensively. Lorkan's gaze was forced to shift from her to the male, and he took this time to size him up. Tall and muscular, Lorkan noticed that despite those features, he still looked slimmer than what was considered average. No facial hair, but it was obvious that the man was a fighter. Even though they were not out for battle, the Night Elf was obviously _no_ sorcerer of which he could tell. A Warrior perhaps, maybe even a Hunter like himself although his attitude did not convey any such thing. He watched as the man's silver eyes narrowed at him, his stance clearly stating: 'take one more step and I'll kill you.'

Lorkan almost laughed out loud. _As if he could. _His rage began to blossom into something much more primal, the desire to rip apart his enemy making his blood boil.

"I do not know you _foul beast_," the Elf spat, making Lorkan's jaw muscle jump in agitation. "But I will not allow you to harm Lady Celysel."

A hairless eyebrow raised, Lorkan's lips twitching upwards in dark amusement. He leaned more against the large trunk of the tree that had become his 'intidimation spot' and looked the Night Elf straight in the eyes.

"She ain't da one needin ta be worryin' bout dey life mon." came the cold reply

Enraged, the Night Elf male began to move swiftly towards the Troll, the desire to strike clear. Before Celysel could even open her mouth to stop him, before the Elf took two solid steps, the clicking noise of Lorkan's gun sounded throughout the area, causing the male to stop dead in his tracks. He stood rigid as his silver eyes faced the barrel of the hunter's gun at almost point blank range. All became silent at that very moment, not even the creatures of the forest dared to announce their presence, the atomsphere that dark. Lorkan watched his enemy, his finger twitching at the trigger, the red haze threatened to take over, demanding blood for the wrong done to him.

Night Elf or no, a bullet to the head was still fatal.

"L…Lorkan…" came a voice from his haze of rage; soft, feminine. Celysel. Despite his anger, despite it all, her voice still sounded musical to him. He blinked and the area became a little clearer, but he did not take his gaze off the male. Any wrong move, any betraying movement would have the bulky creature on him. Lorkan honestly wasn't in the mood to disembowl anyone, although it'd be much more painful than the merciful bullet to the brain. "Lorkan." Came the voice, only stronger, more confident. The other Night Elf looked a little confused, which actually made Lorkan irrationally angry. While he understood that Celysel probably wouldn't tell anyone about her relationship with the Troll, in his current state of mind, it was a rather small point that didn't quite squash that boiling rage inside of him. His grip became firmer on the trigger.

"Lorkan!" she exclaimed, going so far as to even take a step towards him. He did not look at her, but he could imagine the look on her face at this moment. It did nothing to soothe his feelings. "Please," she continued, "Put the gun down. We…we can discuss this!"

"Celysel?" the Warrior Elf questioned, his expression growing even more confused. "Is there something here I do not understand?"

Lorkan stifled a deep growl within his throat "Go on mon," he taunted through clenched teeth "Tell 'im."

There was a long pregnant pause as everyone waited for Celysel to speak. When Lorkan's trigger finger began to twitch again, he heard her gasp lightly, the male flinched. Ah, so this one feared death? Some Warrior.

"Tell. Him." Lorkan repeated through clenched teeth, his eyes narrowing dangerously "Tell de man or I be tellin' im fo ya, and ya might not like wut I gonna say." The rage, that horrible beating rage was slowly decreasing as another, more potent feeling began to fill the void. Sadness. Hurt. How could she go into the arms of another? How, when their relationship had been so good?

Had he been a bad lover? He doubted it. He had always made sure to pleasure his woman first and foremost, and he knew what he was doing down to an art. Was it because he was a Troll? No, somehow, that basic explanation didn't sit well with him. Celysel didn't care about racial differences, they would not have been together otherwise. He even wanted to indulge the dark thoughts of her never having cared for him at all, simply using him for sex, but even that sounded wishy-washy. Besides, that would be something she would expect _him_ to do, not the other way around.

No, there was something here, something that went beyond such primitive notions, he knew that.

"Jaxton…" Celysel began, turning her head as the Night Elf male moved to look at her incredulously, Lorkan, for the moment, forgotten.

"Celysel!" he exclaimed, trying to cut her off "You cannot tell me that you have associated with this…"

"He saved my life once." the female lied, and Lorkan growled at her, but did not argue. His gaze was still sharply locked on the male in front of him, even if he had foolishly taken his eye off of his enemy. Lorkan didn't make such mistakes. "This has been a misunderstanding…"

"No." Jaxton interrupted again, his gaze going back to Lorkan "What is the misunderstanding is how this…_creature_ got here to begin with, and _why_ you didn't kill him after the fact. Regardless as to whether or not he saved your life Celysel, he is the enemy."

Lorkan grinned and pressed the muzzle of his gun a little closer to Jaxton's head "Well mon, I guess it ain't good ta make de same mistake twice eh?" his finger tightened on the trigger.

"No!" Celysel's slender hands quickly closed over Lorkan's forearms, as if to halt him. Lucky for Jaxton, Celysel had been his saving grace, for the Troll at that point had had every intention to kill the Night Elf right then and there. Jaxton was now a threat to him, and no sane Troll allowed a threat to live. "Lorkan, please do not…"

"Git 'im outta here Cel," Lorkan said finally, disgusted at himself for even doing such a thing. "Or I blast 'im away. Make no difference ta Lorkan."

There was a long pause. Lorkan's gaze stayed locked on Jaxton, taking in the man's features, making sure to note it for later. He had a strange feeling that he'd be meeting this male again. Jaxton's gaze shifted from him to Celysel, shock and anger obvious. Lorkan almost wanted to tell the man to 'join the club', but then that would have to make him admit that he and the Warrior had something in common. Lorkan would rather die than admit that he was anything like the male in front of him.

"Jaxton…" Celysel began again, breaking the pause.

The male exploded in a burst of anger "You _cannot_ be serious!" Jaxton exclaimed, his glowing eyes burning into her. "This is a _creature_, not one of us! He has no morals, no values, all he cares about is killing and chaos. He, along with the rest of his kind, and including that damned War chief they follow deserve nothing but death, and even a swift death would be too good for them! They are the Horde, our enemies. Do you think if they got through our forces that they wouldn't hesitate to kill you? Anhi? Is that what you desire to associate with, creatures that would kill your little Anhi without a moment's hesitation…"

The sharp, crisp sound of Celysel's hand slapping Jaxton across the face resonated through the quiet forest, effectively silencing Jaxton and stunning Lorkan. Even he could not help but to look at Celysel for her actions.

She was infuriated. Lorkan had seen many expressions on her face, some more enjoyable than others, but the look of utter fury that was stamped across her delicate features most certainly held him in a type of awe. Her light purple skin was darkened all around her face, her eyes, those beautiful silver orbs, were glowing intensely. Lorkan was not sure who 'Anhi' was, but he could take a few guesses(which opened up an entire slew of questions that he wasn't sure he wanted to ask about).

"Do not speak his name to me in such a manner again." her voice was flat and cold, her hands were clenched into tight fists by her side. "I am quite aware of what war is and how it works. I am also fairly educated in the history of this world, and I do not mean what was only achieved behind our gates. I am well aware that this Troll is my enemy, by all rights and logic, however, this Troll saved my life. Unlike you he did not kill me because of my race, he felt no need to. He saved me, and were it not for him I would not be here. I owe him, my honor demands it, or have you, in your blind racism, forgotten what that means?" she practically hissed those last words out, and Lorkan, despite everything he felt at that moment, could not help but to feel proud at her words. Besides that, he liked how she had put that guy in his place.

"Is that it then Celysel?" Jaxton asked, glaring at her "You are really going to allow this creature to live because he saved your life?" he asked, but his tone sounded accusing "Or perhaps there is more to the story than I realize. I always _did_ find it odd how you refused to speak to other men so abruptly when before you had always been polite and pleasant around everyone. You always were distant to me, and now this…_thing_ comes, guns blazing, and you want _me_ to leave?"

"This was a misunderstanding. Jaxton, give me a bit to speak to him and…"

"You have an hour." the male growled "And then I'm informing every sentry I know to chase this thing out of our home." he turned, glared at Lorkan with nothing short of open hatred, before grabbing Celysel's arm lightly "We have much to discuss when you return my Lady." he said curtly and without another word, turned on his heel and stormed off.

It was only when they could no longer hear his footsteps as he went back into town that Lorkan turned to her, moving to place his gun on his back once more.

"I guess ya…" he began

"Before you start," Celysel cut in, her gaze turned away from him. She was hugging herself lightly, a defensive posture that Lorkan knew quite well, but he did shut up, being a little more calm now that Jaxton had left them. He had been surprised, he had expected a fight from the Warrior. He guessed having a gun to one's face limits their options. "Jaxton and I were not lovers."

"Right." Lorkan said, sounding very unconvinced "So den dat kiss was just friendly right?"

"He kissed _me_ Lorkan, not the other way around…"

"Naw mon, you _let_ 'im kiss ya. I might be a dumb _creature,_ but dese eyes ain't bad."

Celysel could now feel the tension, and she knew that a deep argument was about to erupt, and it would be one that would either continue or utterly destroy their relationship. She wasn't quite sure what she felt right now, Jaxton had almost frightened her, his actions had been so…different than what he had been showing her all this time. She had thought for sure that she would have been able to reason with him, the fact that she had been proven so wrong had been a strange blow for her. With Lorkan here, in Teldrassil of all places, a million questions went through her mind, many of them starting with 'How the hell did you get here?'

"I do not love him, if that is what you are thinking." Celysel said finally, ignoring his earlier comment. That kiss from Jaxton had been one-sided, and she felt no need to explain herself any further concerning that. Obviously Lorkan did not want to believe her, and she had her pride; she would not beg for forgiveness concerning that particular situation. "Our dates have been friendly, and I haven't slept with him either," she added before he could even open his mouth for the retort she knew was coming "so you can get that thought out of your head already."

Lorkan shrugged, but she could tell that her words did little to quell his anger "So he be the reason ya can't write den?"

Her look grew agitated "Oh, of all of the…Lorkan, you have not written me in _months_, how dare you have the audacity to stand there and accuse me of anything? Where have your letters been? How do I know that while I was not with you that you were not sleeping around as you are obviously so ready to accuse me of?"

"I wrote ya five times since last mon, wut da hell ya talkin bout!" he demanded, his voice raising despite himself. "It be _you_ dat ain't been returnin' ma writin's. Risked ma neck ta com' out 'ere cuz I was worried, only ta see ya in de arms o' anudder mon." he took a few steps forward, but when Celysel began to back away, he grabbed her arm, none too gently, and pulled her close to him, his amber eyes practically blazing with rage. "An if ya tink fo' one moment dat I'm gonna let ya slide cuz ya felt like justifin' yaself by a'cusing me o' cheatin to do wut ya did, ya got anudder ting comin'." he growled "Ya know good an' well how I be feelin' bout ya, I made dat preety clear de last time we were togetdar."

"Did you really?" she asked, not backing down in the slightest. She could feel herself losing ground, a part of her knowing that he was right, but she had refused to believe it. Those letters, or lack thereof, had made her feel that he had finally forgotten about her, and while she loved him(and she could admit this now to herself), she knew that she would have to move on. Even if what he said was true, and he had been faithful to her, what could come of their relationship in the long run? What she wanted, he could not give...right?

"Ya. Really." he snapped back, pulling her even closer "I told ya dat mebbe next time we cud talk bout grown up stuff, I tought mebbe ya woudda gotten de hint, mebbe ol' Lorkan was wrong. I told ya dat I cared fo' ya, an' dat I'd write an' be back fo ya. Mebbe I didn't say it clear nuff for ya."

The female's eyes narrowed, and for the first time since he had taken a hold of her, she tried to pull away roughly, to no avail. His grip was strong, she wasn't breaking out of it.

"This isn't a game Lorkan," she began.

"Ya tink I'd be 'ere if it was?" came the retort, but Celysel wasn't going to have it this time.

"What is it that you want from me Lorkan? Can you tell me, because so far, you have spoken in nothing but riddles and games, knowing that in the end, it is all for nothing. You know that in the end, when all is said and done, you will go home and eventually marry a Troll female, or whatever it is your race does for marriage, while I will carry on with my life. We did not come into this relationship expecting anything but the obvious gratifications, somehow we lost sight of that..."

"An' dat be a bad ting?" he asked, his grip loosening on her as he backed away slightly "Ok, ya right, it won't bout ya personality, ya charm, nun o'dat at first. I ain't gonna lie ta ya, I thought ya was hot an' I wanted ya, simple as dat mon. It was jus' fun at first, but den da mo' and mo' we 'ere togedder, da mo' ma reasons change. Do ya really tink I'd be 'ere if I jus' wanted a piece o' ass? I can tell ya dis Celysel, ain't no mon, I dun care how good ya be givin' it to 'im, gonna risk his neck for jus' a piece o' ass."

There was a sigh from Celysel at that statement, although in truth, her heart was pounding in her chest. A part of her, a very large part of her, wanted to believe his words, to believe that he had risked his neck to come all the way here for her because he loved her. She wanted to believe that with her entire being, but for what? Only so that they could part for good, finally realizing that a relationship would never, could never work?

His hand came up to her face, his two fingers moving under her chin to tilt it up to face him, his thumb traced her jaw line gently. As she looked up at him, she saw in his eyes much more than what he had said to her this past year, she saw something in him that she knew was only reserved for her, and her heart wept. She wanted to hug him, kiss him, scream at him to go away and never come back. What had she done to deserve this cosmic joke of a love life? Were the Fates up there now, laughing and mocking her for her stupidity?

"Ya know why I came, duncha?" he asked finally, after studying her face for a long moment. She nodded mutely "Since be been togedder, I ain't been wit no one else, but ya know dat, dun cha?" she nodded again and he took a deep breath, knowing what dangerous ground they were both treading in, but needing to get this taken care of once and for all "Why ya be doubtin me?"

"Because it's easier to move on if I can just think that you don't love me and that you're going to forget about me the moment you walk away from here." she admitted honestly, feeling the burning behind her eyelids but refusing them passage. She would not cry. "Lorkan, we played a dangerous game and now it's become even more dangerous..."

"Cuz we fell in luv?" he said flatly, startling her. His gave her a wry grin "We both be adults now Celysel, an' I ain't got nuthin' ta hide. I sorry if I ne'er made dis clear, I had been tinkin I had, but dun doubt dis sweet'art, this _creature_ be in luv witcha. Ain't nuthin else gonna make dis Troll do sumthin' dis stupid but luv."

She shook her head, but he mistook it for something else, his head lowering to kiss her, as if in reassurance of his feelings. It was not his feelings she doubted, not now, but rather the consequences of those feelings. As much as she had wanted this, as much as she had wanted him to return the love she felt for him, she had never honestly expected it to happen. A small part of her had hoped that he would deny her, for she knew now that if he pressed, if he said what she felt he was going to say, there will be little she would do to refuse him.

There was too much here for her to abandon it.

Celysel turned her head away from Lorkan, surprising him. "We cannot." She said "This isn't right, this isn't how it's supposed to be." she shook her head, as if trying to clear her thoughts, and moved away from him "You should go...I can't..."

He took a step towards her, his expression obviously confused "Celysel..."

"No!" she said vehemently "What we want, we cannot have! I have remained faithful to you Lorkan, despite the fact that I went on dates with Jaxton, my heart has only been filled with thoughts of you, but I'm a realist first and foremost. We are at war, our races hate each other, the Alliance despises the Horde. This is no fairy tale, where we confess our love and go off to live happily ever after. Where will we go? Who could we turn to? My people would never accept you, your people would never accept me, our relationship was doomed the moment it began."

"Is dat wut ya be truly tinkin Cel?" he asked, his expression sympathetic and slightly sad "Dat no matter wut, it wun work out?"

"It is the truth Lorkan, the very simple and harsh truth. We've already gone too far, but now is the time to end it, even with the way we feel about each other. We should go back to our lives. Even now, Jaxton will soon inform the sentries, and do not think that he will not, and they will come for you. I cannot promise you anything, and my heart would break if something were to happen to you." she gave him a look "Speaking of which, how did you get so far without being seen anyway?"

He shrugged "Dun worry bout small stuff." he said softly, a little too softly for Celysel's liking. She could hear the pain and rejection in his voice, but he was trying to hide it by not talking loudly. "So, wut ya tellin' me is, no matter wut I do or say, ya still gonna leave me?"

"What else can we do Lorkan? Continue to see each other on the terms we are now? Jaxton has already suspected that my lie was just that, my freedom will be severely limited, especially if he tells the right people. At this point, I'll be lucky to see as far as Darnassus..."

"All de mo' reason ta come wit me." Lorkan countered, smirking a bit "Ya be askin' too much of a mon leetle Elf. I jus' tol' ya ma deepest feelin's ya can't 'spect me ta back off now. Mebbe ya can go on wit'cha life like nuthin happen', but when us Trolls fall in luv, it be fo' good. No udder woman gonna do eet for me Cel, jus' ya."

"You can't just expect me to drop everything and come with you Lorkan. Did you ever stop to think that I have a life here?"

He nodded "Won't ma intention o' makin' ya leave it...but now wit dat mon goin' ta go tell 'is buddies, ain't got much choices. If I leave now, I get de feelin' dis be ova fo' good. I already be 'ere, might as well go all out. Wut bout it Cel? I ain't gonna promise ya roses 'an easy times, but I do me best, and I wun wrong ya. I ain't no Night Elf, dis all I got, all I can offa." he spread his arms out "Me, dat all I can give Cel, ya can either take eet or dun, da decision yours, always been since we started dis."

He was right of course, he had never made a move for her once they had decided to start a relationship, if that had been the proper term for their beginnings, he had always let her decide the steps they would take. He had always seemed ready and eager for whatever she had decided, as long as that meant they could stay together. She thought about the past, when they had had time alone for months at a time, and she realized that she knew and understood more of Lorkan than she had been willing to admit. His cryptic ways had been obvious if she had simply given more thought to what he was saying, but she never had, because she had always thought that they were playing a game, and he was the more willing player. Of course, he was right, it had been, and they had both been fine with it, but Celysel realized that it had been a long time ago that Lorkan had stopped considering what they had a game, and somehow, she had missed it. Somehow this male had fallen for her, and he had made so many references and jokes to them becoming something more that she had never taken him seriously. Realizing her folly too late, she knew that more than logic would sway him.

Honestly, the prospect of her running off to be with her beloved secretly intrigued her, for it did sound like something out of a story, fanciful and romantic. But reality was a harsh mistress. Their life would be hard, they would never be accepted, and children? Impossible. These were things that she was sure Lorkan wasn't really thinking of, things that he was ignoring in his blind quest for them to be together.

"Where will we go?" she asked, hoping to maybe disuade him once again using logic.

He gave her a thoughtful frown "Been tinkin bout dat fo' a while now. Dere be some neutral ground 'ere, Bootie Bay or Rachet Town, dun matter. Hell, we can ev'n go ta my leetle village, I be knowin people, ma word be gold. Gotta talk ta Thrall bout it o' course, but ma brudder, Rohkan, he knows 'im, mebbe..."

"You...you cannot be serious..." she said, but her voice betrayed her. She sounded more in awe, even hopeful, than surprised and annoyed. She noted the smile on his face widening, as if he knew that he had a chance to change her mind after all. Quickly, she tried to shift her expression to a more neutral one, but the damage had been done.

"Ded serious Cel. I know ma brudder let us in, least till I can git ya sumthin better. Ma place a lil too small fo' two folks, but mebbe we can make us a leetle sumthin near neutral ground, jus' da two o' us. Den dat Anhi, o' wha'ev 'is name be can com' an visit." his voice held a slight note of curiosity and concern.

"Anhi is his nickname, and he was my adopted son. The story itself is long, too long for the short time we have left." she smiled when Lorkan let out a small sigh of relief "Lorkan, I was a virgin when you met me, how could I have had a child?"

He shrugged "I know, jus...I ain't seen ya in a while...an' ya stopped writin fo months..."

The realization dawned on her and she laughed "You thought that Anhi could have been yours?" she shook her head "I think Jaxton's mention of him would have been with a little more hatred, and these circumstances that we are now meeting in would have been much different as well."

"Yeah...figured..." he said, sounding sheepish.

There was an awkward silence between them for the longest of moments, but Celysel was keeping track of the time, and she knew that that time was running very short indeed.

"I want children Lorkan, and a family one day." she said, breaking the silence. She walked over to a rather large tree, her hand rubbing her opposite arm while her gaze drifted to the ground "I don't want to be anyone's mistress, I want to be someone wife, have a family, and while what you say sounds so promising and wonderful, I have a family here already. I have a father that loves me very much, and Anhi, who, while he needs his mother, still loves me as if I were his real mother. I have my teachings, there is still so much about what I do to learn, I'm just not sure if I am ready to leave everything behind." she looked at him, her expression sad "But I know now that if you leave, I may not ever see you again. Jaxton will return, and with Sentries, and I will have to answer a lot of questions that I do not desire to answer. There is a chance that I might be punished, for suspicions of me consorting with the enemy, and so deep in our territory, will not be ignored. They will want to know how you got here, and if anyone else could follow. They will try and use me to get to you Lorkan..."

"All de more reason ta leave Cel..." he sounded pleading as he began to move towards her again "Why stay, knowin' dat?"

"This is my home Lorkan, I know nothing else...I..."

"So fear wut be holdin' ya back den, is dat it?" he asked her, closing the gap between them and pulling her close. She wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his chest. He felt so warm and solid, as if nothing could ever break him. She allowed herself a wry smile. Perhaps nothing could. "Cel, ya askin' me ta let ya to de dogs, I can't do dat." he said, leaning so that his cheek was resting on the crown of her head "I sure ya life be good 'ere, 'an I know I just kinna screwed tings up by comin' 'ere, but I ain't gonna say I regret eet. De real world be a scary ting mon, I know dis, but ya wun be alone. I got me a reel understandin' family back home, dey wun hate ya cuz ya skin be purple an' ya eyes glow silvah. It gonna be tough, cuz we gotta convince peoples dat ya no threat, dat ya not gonna go back an' tell all ya Alliance buddies our secrets an' such. Dat why I say we live out far at first, den mebbe we get closa but we can make eet work Cel, if ya want eet. Ya ain't gotta be scared wit me, dis I promise." gently, he tilted her head up to face him and when he bent to kiss her, she did not deny him.

It was not a long or lingering kiss, but a soft and short kiss, something he did not do often. She looked up at him in slight surprise, for his gaze was intense, his hold on her strong. They stood there for a while in each other's embrace, her mind going in a million different directions at once, and she was quite undecided as to what to do.

"I..." she began, but closed her mouth again, not knowing exactly what to say. Should she stay? There was only so much protection her father would give, and Jaxton had looked so angry, she wasn't sure what would happen to her. Would he tell everyone he knew? So far, he had kept his word and had not alerted anyone, but perhaps, if she took too long, he would not hesitate.

Facing Jaxton right now frightened Celysel. The side of him that he had shown, that fury and extreme hatred, was such a sharp contrast to the loving and caring side he always had that Celysel was no longer sure of what he was capable of. Would he harm her upon her return? Would he try to blackmail her into doing something she did not want to do? Would he use Anhi to get to her?

Facing that prospect frightened her, but going out into the unknown with Lorkan was also just as frightening. It would be her alone, with only Lorkan to support her. She would have to put a lot of trust and faith in him, otherwise she would have to survive out on her own, for she knew if she left with him now it would not be easy for her to return home. In leaving her home, she knew she did so with the understanding that she would probably be unable to return until the war was over...if it would ever be over.

Trust. She would have to trust Lorkan, and she wasn't sure if she trusted him so completely yet. Then again, she trusted Jaxton not at all.

"Cel, time be runnin out." Lorkan said suddenly, and she realized he was right. An hour had almost passed, and Lorkan needed all the time he could get to leave this place.

They separated from their embrace and she avoided his expectant stare, her thoughts still muddled, still chaotic. Her actions had put her in a very difficult position. There were so many unknown variables to any decision she made, making her feel lost and somewhat alone. Could she trust Lorkan with more than her heart? Did he really mean everything he had just said? Could she really and truly have a life with him?

If it could be possible, she knew she wanted it. If it could be possible, she knew she would jump in head first, as long as he felt the same. He did, he said he had, and she had to trust in him to know that he would not abandon her at the first opportunity.

If his word wasn't enough, the fact that he was here of all places should be proof enough of his feelings. Indeed, what man in his right mind would go this deep into enemy territory just for a good lay?

"I guess ya silence be enough." came in Lorkan's slow drawl of a voice, but the sadness was there. When she looked up, he was not facing her, in fact, he was walking away. "Dun worry Cel, I dun blame ya, if dat how ya really feel." he spun to face her, but before he could open his mouth slender hands framed both sides of his face and the Night Elf Druid stood up on her tip toes, tilting her head so that she moved between his tusks and kissed him firmly but quickly. Stunned, the Troll could do nothing but stare at her awkwardly, as if she had just punched him as hard as she could right between the eyes.

"I..." she looked behind her quickly before turning back to him "I have nothing on me save the gown I am wearing..."

"We get ya mo' clothes..." he began to argue

"But I have some stashes in a few places here and there." she continued, smiling "This decision isn't coming _easy_ to me Lorkan, but if you can promise me here and now that no matter what, you will stay by my side, I...I will go with you. Please hurry and say yes before I regain my common sense and change my mind."

He grabbed her and kissed her long and hard, squeezing her as tightly as he could. When they parted, he grabbed her smaller hand into his large one and began to move "Babeh, if ya want, we can git married de moment we get ta Rachet Town, I dun give a fuck. All I wun right now is ta git ya away from 'ere...'an ta git ya alone." he added the last part with a devious smirk to her, to which she sighed and shook her head.

"I cannot believe you are thinking about...at a time like this even!" she said, but she did have a smile on her face.

"I ain't good wit words Cel, nev'r been, but ya just made me da happiest mon alive. Gotta show me luv an' 'preciation sum how. Now, lemme show ya exactly how I got 'ere..."

**Epilogue**

The weather was hot and humid, but this was the Barrens, and it was always hot and humid here. The sun was high, the rays baking the already baked ground below, steam rising on the horizon. The wind was blowing, but it was a warm wind, nothing at all to cool the skin or refresh the weary.

It was mid afternoon when a large raptor began its descent from the hills and towards a small village out in the middle of nowhere. It carried a heavy burden this time, and its fatigue was beginning to show. It halted at the instruction of its master and thankfully the two riders on him dismounted, allowing the creature to breathe a little easier.

The two figures were cloaked from the sun, but also for more practical reasons. The taller, obviously male figure reached out and pulled his hood back, revealing Troll features. Bright red hair was short and spiked up at an impossible angle. His skin was of a greenish hue, with a long nose and long tusks that jutted out from his mouth on either side. He was a tall creature, but stayed hunched over, a natural racial trait. His amber eyes took in the area before he turned to the still cloaked figure beside him.

"Took us a few weeks, but we be 'ere." he took the slender creature's hand in his and smiled down at it.

The slender creature removed the hood to reveal silver hair with matching glowing eyes, her skin a beautiful shade of purple. She looked up at the large male looming over her, almost protectively, and smiled.

"I'm still very nervous." she said in her soft musical voice of hers "This is not going to be easy, we're taking so many risks..."

"Cel," the Troll drawled, rolling his eyes "Woman, we been thro dis time an time again. Ev'ryting gonna be okay, have some faith in Lorkan ok?"

Celysel sighed and leaned against the wiry frame of the man she loved "I know I know. I'm learning okay? Trust isn't easy for me, and this all just seems unreal."

He nodded "I know wut ya mean mon, dis...sumting outta story or whatever."

"That it does." she laughed at the notion "Come on, I have to meet your family remember? And then we need to concern ourselves on a place to stay and where we will build our home."

"Say dat again."

"What?" she blinked at him, a little confused "Say what again?"

"Dat last bit ya said."

"What? You mean when I said 'our home'?"

"Yah mon. Sound like musak to dese ears."

AN: Well now, story is finally over.

This chapter was dialogue heavy, something I don't do as often as I used to in the past. I'm not too happy with it, but it was 14 pages long, so I guess it wasn't too bad right?

Yeah.

Um, one of these chapters had spelling corrections on them. If this wasn't the one, I'll change it when I'm not in a lazy mood.


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